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A New Look at Oil Disaster; Petraeus in Afghanistan; Janet Jackson Speaks; Eating to Win

Aired July 03, 2010 - 19:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: As if the oil disaster could get any worse, one man's pictures of what's happening in the Gulf will stop you in your tracks.

There's Christmas, Easter and on and on. So, what about Muslim school holidays? One big city school system ponders that and it is a dilemma.

And every competitive sport requires dieting but it's not usually an all you can eat one. We'll introduce you to the champions of competitive eating this hour.

Good evening, everyone. Happy Fourth of July.

(MUSIC)

LEMON: Good evening, everyone. Happy Fourth of July to you.

You know, this should have been one of the busiest years in the Gulf right now, but the disaster on the Gulf is keeping some tourists away, whether it's actually washing up on the beaches or not. And now we're hearing that tar balls could start turning up on beaches in the Florida Keys by the end of summer.

This weekend, EPA chief, Lisa Jackson, is visiting the Gulf Coast to monitor her agency's response to the crisis.

And our Allan Chernoff is down there, too. He's standing by for us in New Orleans.

Allan, you got a bird's eye view of the disaster earlier. What did you see?

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Exactly, Don. We saw that some of the islands off the coast of Louisiana and Mississippi are now surrounded by a light sheen of oil. The winds are supposed to turn to the south tomorrow and the Coast Guard fears that more oil is headed towards those islands, particularly the Chandeleur Islands off of Louisiana.

Further out, in the Gulf, you see ribbons and ribbons of brown oil sitting there, and right at the gusher, huge puddles, brown puddles. And the frustrating part is, there's virtually nothing that the government has been able to do about all this since Wednesday because the wave heights, they've been too high. Well over four feet and that is too high to do any skimming.

We were on board with Paul Zukunft, he's rear admiral in charge of the clean-up operations, and he shared his frustration with us.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REAR ADM. PAUL ZUKUNFT, U.S. COAST GUARD: We do take it personally. It is portrayed as mission failure any time oil washes ashore. Not just with this spill but with any spill. And certainly, the damage it does to the environment. So that's the frustrating part.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHERNOFF: The admiral said the weather is the one thing that you simply cannot defeat -- Don.

LEMON: So, Allan, what are -- what other resources are on the way there if any at all?

CHERNOFF: Yes. They have a lot of resources on the way. The admiral told us, first of all, over the next two weeks, he's going to have 300 additional skimmers coming on, 550 skimmers already are in the Gulf, ready to get back to work, as soon as the waves calm down.

Also, they are testing -- the Coast Guard is testing -- a supertanker to see if the supertanker can actually do skimming. And they're going to be using barges. There's a barge that's going to be connected to 1,500 feet of boom and then two skimmers will be operating off the barge. So they're trying to use any resource possible. They need more skimmers. They need to pick up that oil off the water, get it tucked away and cleaned up -- Don

LEMON: Allan Chernoff -- thank you, Allan.

And some beaches in the Gulf look eerily deserted this weekend like those in Pensacola, Florida, where an oily mess is coating the beautiful stand way faster than clean-up crews can mop it up.

And as our John Zarrella tells us, some there are writing the summer off as a total loss.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Clean-up crews pore over Pensacola's beaches. Oil stains and tar balls cover what was just a few weeks ago, pristine, white sand.

Front loaders literally dump Pensacola's economy into waiting trucks. The virtually empty beaches are under what the county health department is calling an "oil impact notice," warning people to stay out of the water and off the oil-stained sand indefinitely.

(on camera): Does it worry you that the closure of these beaches might not just be for days? It could be weeks? If not longer?

LARRY JOHNSON, PENSACOLA COUNTY COUNCILOR: Yes. We've lost this summer. The summer of 2010 is gone for Pensacola Beach, the way that I see it. Our season is from Memorial Day to Labor Day. We're sitting here the week before July Fourth and there's nobody here.

ZARRELLA (voice-over): Disgust, anger, for Councilman Larry Johnson, this show of clean-up force is too little, too late.

Day after day, the tides shift to the sand, much of the tar and oil is buried before the crews get to it. Johnson digs down. The oil appears beneath the surface like the rings of a tree that tell its age.

JOHNSON: John, this has been covered up from the night before.

ZARRELLA (on camera): Now, how many inches down is this? That's got to be four inches? Five inches?

JOHNSON: Four or five inches down.

ZARRELLA (voice-over): Pensacola is home to Gregg Hall and Diana Stephens.

GREGG HALL, RESIDENT: It kills me. I mean, it kills my soul that the Gulf of Mexico is being destroyed.

ZARRELLA: Every day, they walk the beach taking pictures -- iReporters for CNN, they've documented what they see. Not pretty.

Gregg puts his hands in the water. When he takes them out, tar.

Diana holds a clean fish tank filter. Not for long.

DIANA STEPHENS, RESIDENT: This is it. Just holding it in for a few seconds, you can see you get tar balls. This is the sheen mousse, which is the foamy orange stuff you see out in the surf.

ZARRELLA: Nearly every day, more oil washes ashore, bringing with it waves -- of overwhelming frustration felt by most people here.

STEPHENS: You can't get everything. It's kind of like cleaning this beach with a toothpick. It's just -- it's an impossible task.

ZARRELLA: And impossible task with no end in sight.

John Zarrella, CNN, Pensacola, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Let's go overseas now.

Vice President Joe Biden and his unusual holiday destination this weekend, it is Baghdad. Biden arrived today with his wife, Jill. He says he's optimistic that Iraqi politicians can set aside their differences and form a government soon. It's been four months since the Iraqi voters went to the polls. Some Iraqis worry the insurgents will exploit the power vacuum to strike. The U.S. is scheduled to end its combat mission in Iraq by September 1st. Some 50,000 troops would stay behind to help with training and hunting terrorists.

In Afghanistan, General David Petraeus is wasting no time getting down to business. He's already met with Afghan president, Hamid Karzai.

And today, at a Fourth of July ceremony, he spoke to civilian and military leaders. His stern message was simple: The way forward depends on working together.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEN. DAVID PETRAEUS, CMDR., U.S. FORCES, AFGHANISTAN: 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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Petraeus is replacing General Stanley McChrystal in Afghanistan. McChrystal's remarks in a "Rolling Stone" article had led to new rules from the Pentagon, guiding the military's action with reporters.

Republican National Committee chairman, Michael Steele, is spending his holiday weekend on damage control. He's calling GOP lawmakers and party officials to explain some controversial remarks he made about the war in Afghanistan. It has led to calls for his resignation from well-known conservatives like Liz Cheney and "Weekly Standard" editor, William Kristol.

Here's what Steele said to a fundraiser on Thursday in Connecticut.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL STEELE, REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE, CHAIRMAN: Keep in mind, again, for our federal candidates, this is a war of Obama's choosing. This is not -- this is not something the United States actively prosecuted or wanted to engage in.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Would you say that was part of what Steele said at a fundraiser there. Of course, the Afghanistan war started under President Bush after 9/11 with a lot of public support at the time. It would take a 2/3 vote in the RNC to get rid of Steele. So unless he resigns on his own, he'll probably stay on, at least until the end of his term early next year.

President Barack Obama is renewing his call for Congress to pass an immigration reform bill. He reached out to Republican this is week, saying a bipartisan solution is the only way forward. The president also criticized Arizona's new immigration law and the state's governor pushed right back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)

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

Today, we have more boots on the ground near the southwest border than 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.

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

(APPLAUSE)

BREWER: 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. And I'll tell you something else: We're not going to pick up the tab, either.

(END VIDEO CLIPS)

LEMON: And straight ahead here on CNN: a look at the oil spill that you haven't seen from BP or the government.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN WATHEN, ENVIRONMENTALIST: At 23 miles out, we encountered the heaviest sheens yet. Some of it looks as if a child had sprayed silly string all over the surface, but there's nothing silly about these strings of oil that float on the Gulf of Mexico today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: I'll talk with environmentalist, John Wathen, who says he has pictures BP doesn't want you to see.

And don't just sit there, make sure you become part of our conversation. Send me a message on Twitter and on Facebook. You can check out my blog, CNN.com/Don. I want to hear from you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Right now, I want to show you some video of the Gulf oil spill shot by an environmentalist. His name is John Wathen. And he says he ignored directives not to fly over this area, all right? It's an area where clean-up crews are working and large amounts of oil are visible right on top of the water.

Let me play for you a portion of what he shot and then I want you to listen to how he describes the ecological disaster he is witnessing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) WATHEN: From the size of these fires, it seems as though we're not only trying to kill everything in the Gulf of Mexico, but everything that flies over it as well. This toxic environment can't be good for the birds that fly over the Gulf. And certainly, nothing can live in these rainbows of death that cover the entire horizon.

Then we found this guy -- a sperm whale swimming in the oil had just breached. Along his back, we could see red patches of crude as if he'd been basted for broiling.

Then there was this pod of dolphins found later, some were already, some on their death throes. It seemed to be that they were raising their heads and looking at the fires, wondering, why is my world burning down around me? Why would humans do this to me?

As we approach Chandeleur Islands, I want surprised to see patches of oil along the beach. Given the difficulty in putting boom out and making it stay along these islands, it's going to be impossible to try and keep the oil out.

I shudder to think what's going to happen when a storm does come through here. All the oil that we've just flown over will be alongside this. The marshes and all this boom that you see now will be piled up on the shore covered with oil.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: And the man's voice you heard, John Wathen, he joins us now live from Gulf Shores, Alabama.

Thank you for joining us. My first question to you, Mr. Wathen, do you think that we, as Americans, that we're underestimating this spill?

WATHEN: Yes, I think it's been underestimated from the very beginning. We were told by Cook Inletkeeper in Alaska, whatever they were telling us, multiply it by five, and that's been pretty much the case all along.

LEMON: Why do -- why do you think this is happening? Why is it being underestimated?

WATHEN: Well, nobody ever wants to fully accept responsibility for a major disaster like this. The more it's downplayed, the less of an immediate hit or a statement that the company has to clean up later.

LEMON: Yes. So, listen, you were -- you said that you disobeyed orders not to fly over that area. Why do you think those orders -- did you get in trouble for that, first of all?

WATHEN: Well, let me explain something. We didn't disobey any orders to fly over there. We didn't defy anybody. What we did, though, is we exercised our right and we filed a flight plan with the Federal Aviation Administration to go out there and do what we did.

BP doesn't control the airspace. The Federal Aviation Administration does that. I represent a group here on the coast, Save Our Gulf. It's a conglomeration of seven Waterkeeper programs that are going to be impacted by this. And we need to know what's going on in our watersheds. We need this information.

LEMON: Mr. Wathen, there was a no-fly rule over that. You said you exercised -- and I understand that. I'm not -- I'm not fighting you on that.

But do you -- why do you think that they have the sort of no-fly zone or no-fly area there over the area, especially where the explosion happened?

WATHEN: Well, I don't think they want the American people to know just how bad this is. This is much worse. If you've flown out there, if you've seen this, it is much worse than you can get in a two-second sound byte on any of the for-profit media stations. This is huge and people need to know that. They need to acknowledge that this is, by far, the largest disaster we've ever had to face and the transparency is absolutely necessary for us to be informing the public.

Defying us the right to go out there -- the Waterkeepers in particular, the Save Our Gulf group that's working so hard to help our community, we need this information. We should not be denied the right to the kind of documentation that I've been able to do, simply by standing up for my rights.

LEMON: Were you surprised by what you found? Because you weren't looking to find anything. You just went up to -- you didn't think you're going to find those pictures. You just went up out of curiosity just to take a look. Just to see. Were you surprised by what you found?

WATHEN: Yes, I was extremely surprised. You know, the Save Our Gulf group called me here to help document this thing. So, we went out the first flight just to see what it looked like. We weren't anticipating finding, you know, any criminal acts. That's not what we're about. We're not trying to put blame. We're trying to document what's going on.

But when I realized the scope and magnitude of this, I was shocked beyond belief and for the first time in my environmental career, I actually used the word "hopeless."

LEMON: Yes.

WATHEN: It is hopeless to think that we can stop this from coming onshore and decimating our community.

LEMON: Yes. Well, Mr. Wathen, we thank you very much. And in a related story, obviously, it's all related. It's good to see there some people on the beach behind you -- probably not as many people that would have been down there barring this disaster.

We thank you for your reporting -- even though you're not a reporter -- we thank you for your reporting here on CNN. Take care of yourself, OK? WATHEN: All right. Thank you.

LEMON: Thank you very much.

WATHEN: A judge says three accused Russian spies are a danger to the community and order them held without bail. But what about their kids?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you're a spy, the focus of your life is to be a spy, to accomplish the operation, to accomplish your objectives. When you're a parent, you're supposed to take care of your kids. You are supposed to put them first in your lives -- and a spy can't do that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Plus, the manhunt is over -- an accused cop killer in Tampa.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: A look now at your top stories.

Thousands attended the funeral today for two police officers in Tampa, Florida. They were shot to death Tuesday during an early-morning traffic stop. The murders triggered an intense manhunt that ended yesterday when suspect Dante Morris surrendered to Tampa police. The police chief called Morris a cold-blooded killer, adding, thank God he is behind bars right now.

A Russian supply craft that overshot the International Space Station will make a second docking attempt tomorrow afternoon. The unmanned spaceship failed to dock on Friday, flying two miles past the Space Station. NASA says the six astronauts and cosmonauts on board were never in danger. The ship is carrying supplies, including, food, water, oxygen and scientific equipment.

A bizarre twist in the ongoing Russian spy ring investigation to tell you about. The four Russian couples accused of working deep cover had seven children among them. Our Brian Todd tells us, they could be left in limbo as the investigation unfolds.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Emerging from what authorities say was a deep-cover operation, three accused Russian spies appear in federal court. The judge calls each a danger to the community and a flight risk. Orders them held without bail.

They include a married couple, Patricia Mills and Michael Zottoli, who have separate lawyers and don't make eye contact with each other in court. Mills' face showing signs of strain. Authorities say she's trying to get their two children, ages 1 and 3, sent to Russia to be with her relatives. There are at least seven children among four married couple in this alleged spy operation. Children struggling not only sudden separation from their parents --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, both of them innocent.

TODD: -- but also, the accusation that their parents weren't who they said they were.

The government's complaint says illegals -- spies who don't have diplomatic cover -- sometimes work under the guise of married couples, and "will often have children together; this further deepens an illegal's legend."

I asked child protection advocate Terri Braxton about that.

(on camera): Now the children might question whether their parents were ever even married? Whether their parents actually felt an emotional bond with each other because they could be spies, they be could be set up to do all of this? How bizarre is that?

TERRI BRAXTON, CHILD WELFARE LEAGUE OF AMERICA: Well, I -- you know, I don't have any precedent on which to base an opinion. So, I think that it is certainly something that I've not experienced before. But -- and I can't imagine that any of kids in this situation are going to feel good about this situation.

TODD (voice-over): The kids may not have known their parents' names until now. The prosecutors say the suspect, Patricia Mills, told investigators her real name is Natalia Pereverzeva and that her apparent husband, Zottoli, said his name is Mikhail Kutzik.

I spoke about that balancing act with Eric O'Neill, a former FBI operative who helped to catch Russia's FBI mole Robert Hanssen, a case dramatized in the Hollywood film, "Breach."

(on camera): How hard is it to be a spy when you've got kids of any age?

ERIC O'NEILL, THE GEORGETOWN GROUP: It's got to be incredibly difficult because when you're a spy, the focus of your life is to be a spy, to accomplish the operation, to accomplish your objectives. When you're a parent, you're supposed to take care of your kids. You are supposed to put them first in your life. And a spy can't do that.

TODD: Experts say despite the bizarre nature of the case, the children of all of the suspects will very likely be handed over to whomever the parents choose for guardianship, unless there's evidence of abuse on the part of the parents.

Brian Todd, CNN, Alexandria, Virginia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter all recognized holidays in U.S. schools. But there could be a change in New York City. A group wants the schools to recognize Muslim holidays.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: In the Big Apple, right here where I am, there's a culture clash going on in the classrooms. A group is pushing for New York City schools to recognize Muslim holidays, but Mayor Michael Bloomberg has already shot the idea down.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG (I), NEW YORK: Everybody would like to be recognized, but the truth of the matter is, we need more school days, not less, and I've said this a number of times, we're not going to add any more days. Our kids need more education, not less.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: OK. So, however, supporters of Muslim school holidays are not giving up. The author of this post, on our CNN's "Belief" blog he is among them. His name is Imam Khalid Latif. He's a Muslim chaplain for New York City Police Department and he joins us now live in New York.

So Imam, it's good to have you here. You just heard the mayor. He has a point. He said the kids need to stay in school but there are people of other religions whose faith aren't part of the school calendar. Why recognize the Muslim religion?

KHALID LATIF, EXEC. DIR., NYU ISLAMIC CENTER: I think a lot of that has to do with the reasonableness of our request. Most definitely other communities can come forth and put in for such a request, but the elements that are part of our coalition's request I think make it more reasonable and something that wouldn't be that impactful to the current school calendar.

In addition, the sheer numbers of Muslim students that exist in the New York City public school system just makes it a little bit more necessary for this request to be fielded.

LEMON: Well, he's saying that kids need more education and not less education. How many days are we talking about here?

LATIF: You know, we had a study conducted through NYU's School of Laws, one of their clinics. And they projected in the next 12 years there would be an impact on five days in total. Our calendar is a lunar calendar and it goes back about 11 days earlier.

LEMON: Is there a compromise, before we get into this, could there be a compromise? Because not every Christian celebrates every Christian holiday. You don't get it off for school. You know, we have a week for Easter for most when I was a kid. Two weeks for Christmas or whatever, but not every Christian holiday. Is there a compromise for the biggest holiday or maybe the holidays that you consider more important in your religion?

LATIF: Definitely, I mean, the two holidays that being requested are our two major holidays. One comes at the end of the month of fasting for us, the month of Ramadan. And the another one comes at the end of our annual pilgrimage, the Hajj. These two days are pretty much it that we have.

LEMON: So you're only asking for two days. You said five days over time. So just two days in the beginning. Listen, so, what do you think, does it have anything to do with perception, you think, about the Muslim religion or a misconception about the Muslim religion? Because there was the synagogue right down near 9/11 that there were protests about. Do you think that has anything to do with it - the mosque. Do you think that has anything to do with it?

LATIF: I mean, I think it's understandable right now that a broader American society has a certain misconception about Islam and that probably does factor into this decision slightly. I think though a lot of the response to has been taking place with this coalition equates the Islam that we're looking to define here as something that is not from this country. What we're looking to do is establish an Islam that's uniquely American.

You know, one that's not defined based off of a country 500 miles away or something 500 years in the past. I think that's a process that needs to really be embraced.

LEMON: But how easy will it be to get Muslims to - because, you know, Muslims can be very traditional about their religion as can Catholics and can Baptists and what have you. Can you get Muslims to be more modern, at least, in their approach to religion?

LATIF: I think so. You know, I think that definition has the most definitely has to be rooted in something authentic but at the same time, takes into consideration what's normative in the society in which we're situated in.

LEMON: Is it partially your own fault though, about not getting these holidays? Is it partially your own fault that you don't have possibly enough political clout right now in order to do this?

LATIF: I mean, if you look at Islam and the United States, our communities were established as very highly ethno-centric communities. And the insularity of these communities, you know, we are feeling the repercussions of that now. And so most definitely, we have to own up to some of the things that we had decided to do in the past. I think it makes perfect sense that a lot of these organizations and institutions don't have policy in place that are necessarily sensitive to the needs of Muslims in this country because Muslims haven't been around that long in a way that they should have been.

LEMON: And now more are aware for a reason, that many people in this country might take offense to celebrating holidays. So that's your dilemma and that's what you're going to have to overcome. Imam Latif, thank you so much.

LATIF: Thank you so much.

LEMON: Thanks for joining us here on CNN. Best of luck to you.

LATIF: Thank you.

LEMON: You know, most people probably think that texting is a teen or preteen problem. But what if it's really the parents who are the real offenders. Some new developments might surprise you on that story.

Plus a one-on-one with Janet Jackson. She headlines the Essence Music Festival this weekend and opens up about the gulf oil disaster.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JANET JACKSON, HEADLINER, ESSENCE MUSIC FESTIVAL: I tried to really focus on something positive, something good. You know, good things always come out of tragedy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Disaster battered New Orleans is back in the headlines tonight but for reasons of celebration. The Essence Music Festival is bringing life to the city this weekend showcasing performers who say they need to be a part of it. And that includes Janet Jackson. HLN anchor, Richelle Carey sat down with Miss Jackson, herself, I should say, Miss Carey sat down with Miss Jackson, herself.

And Miss Carey, please understand that it's not all fun at the festival. People were there to talk about the gulf oil disaster, right?

RICHELLE CAREY, HLN ANCHOR: Oh, absolutely. People that are here realized they have to be connected to what is happening in the community and what the people in this community are dealing with. The continued recovery from Katrina and now what has happened with the oil spill.

So the administrator of the EPA, Lisa Jackson was here to have a town hall to talk about the environment. There were other organizations here trying to raise awareness of what's going on in the gulf oil spill. Because "Essence" has always been about more than music. It's about being connected to your community.

And Janet Jackson, she is connected to the community. She says that there's a very specific reason that she chose to perform at Essence this year. She's acutely aware of what is happening in the news. Here's some of my conversation with her.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAREY: We're here at the "Essence Music Festival." What brought you to the festival this year? Why this year?

JACKSON: They've asked me for a while to be a part of the festival. And my schedule never permitted it. And they asked me to be a part of it again this year. And once again, my schedule actually really doesn't permit me to do so, but I wanted to do it. And knowing that it was going to be in New Orleans and how special it would be.

CAREY: People here cannot catch a break for years. There is Katrina, then there is the gulf oil, not really a spill, a gusher, out there in the Gulf of Mexico. Talk about your reaction to that when you realized what was happening. And how you see people along the gulf coast processing it.

JACKSON: When I originally heard about it, I mean, I thought it was horrible. But then when I actually saw that it was over a month and it was still ongoing, that's what really tripped me out. I could not believe that. But I tried to really focus on something positive. Something good.

You know, good things always come out of tragedy and what good could come out of this and I actually - came from CNN how there was a guy that created this boat and he goes right into the water and he takes the wildlife out of the water and he cleans them, right on his boat and releases them back into the wild.

CAREY: What does that say about the people who live along the gulf coast? The people of New Orleans?

JACKSON: They are strong. They come together. They pull together in times of need. You see that with Katrina as well. So it's a special place, very special.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CAREY: So as you can see, Don, Janet Jackson is busy as she is, finds time to watch what's happening in the world and watch what's happening in this community and she had a reason that she felt like this was the year for her to make it to the Essence Music Festival.

LEMON: Yes. And you know what, as you and I talked because we were texting about it. You know, I saw Janet Jackson and the family last week in Glendale for the one-year anniversary. And she wasn't there last year probably she was filming a movie and then her brother died right just before the "Essence Music Festival" was going on. How is she handling it this time? It's been a year. Did you get a chance to ask her that?

CAREY: She did open up about a lot of things. She talked about love. She talked about showbiz and kids but she did not feel comfortable, understandably, talking about her brother's passing but I will tell you this. After almost two hours on stage last night, the end of the concert, Don, you look up on the screen and there's a huge picture of Michael and Janet as children, right there on the screen. It moved some people in the crowd to tears. It looked like Janet was crying. It is clear that her brother is part of who she is. It is so clear.

LEMON: Yes. And we texted after this when I saw her I said, Janet, could you please come over and talk and she said, it's hard right now. I can't, maybe some other time. So it's still right there.

CAREY: Yes. She was on that stage crying.

LEMON: Yes. Thank you, Richelle. Great interview. OK.

CAREY: You bet.

LEMON: You know, you just heard from his sister. You can hear from the brothers of Michael Jackson during my special report tonight at 8:00 p.m. eastern. "Michael Jackson, the Final Days" reveals the details of events leading up to his death one year ago.

I want to check your top stories right now. In the gulf, crews are testing a ship that's being called the world's largest oil skimmer. It's called a whale. The Taiwanese company that owns it is waiting for permission to join the clean-up effort but there may be bad news for the Florida keys. A new report says tar balls could start washing up there by the end of summer.

You know, the new top general in Afghanistan is offering tough love to Afghan leaders. David Petraeus spoke today at a ceremony marking the 4th of July holiday. He told Afghan leaders that cooperation is not optional and your success is our success, he said. The general arrived in Afghanistan on Friday and now, must persuade skeptical Afghans that the U.S. can win the war in their country.

Officially, secretary of state Hillary Clinton toured the Schindler Factory Museum in Poland today but personally, she says, her demanding schedule won't curtail planning her daughter, Chelsea's wedding, Clinton calls that her most important task. Still, she admits balancing her public and private life is stressful. Chelsea Clinton will marry Marc Mezvinsky, the son of two former members of Congress, on July 31st.

Tomorrow is big Nathan's 4th of July hotdog eating contest. So what does it feel like to have 38 hotdogs in your stomach? What does that feel like? Up next, we talk to two top-ranked competitive eaters. One who calls herself "the black widow." There she is right next to me. Hi, black widow.

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LEMON: All right. So forget the World Cup. Forget Wimbledon. The real sports competition is tomorrow, Nathan's hotdog eating contest is at noon. It is a gorge fest that's been around since 1916 and while this is a good time. People who compete to eat are seriously, seriously driven. Major league eating. Yes, that's the official organization. It ranks Pete Davekos. And he says his name is Pete "Pretty Boy" DAVEKOS. And he's in the Boston area, he is ranked number 20. And then Sonya Thomas known as "the black widow" is ranked number five. Thank you both. Sonya?

PETE DAVEKOS, COMPETITIVE EATER: Thanks for having us.

LEMON: Sonya, you have the women's record of 41 hotdogs in 10 minutes. Look at you, you're like - what do you say you weigh? 100 pounds?

SONYA THOMAS, "THE BLACK WIDOW" COMPETITIVE EATER: Yes, around 100 pounds.

LEMON: 100 pounds?

THOMAS: Yes.

LEMON: So where does it go, your hair?

THOMAS: No, my body. But I run out so quickly from the work and exercise.

LEMON: So you should see her. She is tiny. And you say what, your stomach expands and you can expand your stomach.

THOMAS: Yes, I drink a lot of liquid with my meals, yes.

LEMON: And so for hotdogs, do you hold a record?

THOMAS: I have a female world record.

LEMON: Your personal best is at 41?

THOMAS: 41 hotdogs in 10 minutes.

LEMON: That's the female world record?

THOMAS: Yes. That's correct.

LEMON: Pretty boy, what about you?

DAVEKOS: How you doing?

LEMON: You're ranked number 20. How much do you weigh? You're a big guy.

DAVEKOS: Yes, I'm about 205. I think the camera adds about 20 pounds. I'm 6'1", 205. I stay in shape. 6'1".

LEMON: 6'1", 205. That's not that big. So what happens? How do you get all of these hotdogs in your stomach all this, some people say, not that it's crap but how do you get this in your stomach?

DAVEKOS: It's mind over stomach matter. Like any professional athlete, you have to go out there with tunnel vision and tenacity and just keep pushing through the pain. I mean, it just - it fits. There's room. You just got to find it.

LEMON: So, Pretty Boy, what happens after the competition? Because I've seen people during the competition actually get sick. I don't know if you saw the video that went viral last year of the guy who, you know, threw up while he was eating trying to - what happens to you afterwards?

DAVEKOS: Well, you know, throwing up, he probably wasn't a professional like ourselves, like Sonia and I but, usually, whether eating one hotdog or 100, it doesn't matter, you're going to feel a little queasy. I mean, it's kind of like having Thanksgiving dinner in a matter of 10 minutes as opposed to four hours. But as long as you have your Pepto, which is a trade secret which we all carry in our bags afterwards.

THOMAS: It is.

LEMON: You know what it's just funny because the "black widow" has hers here sitting here on the anchor desk. I'm just going to hold it up. There it is right there. And it's a trade secret.

I'll ask you, Sonia, "the Black Widow," why?

THOMAS: Why for what?

LEMON: why do it?

THOMAS: Why do it? It's fun and I like the competition not for only eating, everything. Competition and prize and money, too. It's good for your life, too. you know, everything is entertainment, too, is kind of a sport and entertainment.

LEMON: You say for the money. How much money?

THOMAS: Sometimes like a prize of money if we win, some winner gets $5,000, $6,000, $10,000 and you know some - and the traveling, too.

LEMON: The most you've made in a year?

THOMAS: I don't know - so far, I've made about $10,000 so far this year.

LEMON: What's your real job? You can't live on $10,000 a year.

THOMAS: Yes. My real job is I'm a fast food restaurant manager.

LEMON: You're going to need this, too, just for that. Listen - they should be paying us for this. So listen, pretty boy, why? Why do you do it?

DAVEKOS: I'm unlike Sonya. She is and has been one of the sport's greatest. So making an income off competitive eating for me is not even truly an option. I mean, my three passions in life are three things, it's food, travel and competition. And professional eating, major league eating allows me to combine all three of them. I've built great friendships over the years. And I've seen a lot of places.

I mean, last year I was asked to go to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for almost like a USO tour to give back and to give competition with the troops. So I get a lot more out of it. It's not a financial thing. I'm a sales manager for a multi-million dollar office buy company, privately owned, out of Massachusetts. So for the most part, you know, me, I just love the game. I'm not a golfer. I'm not a softball player. So I just love to eat and I love food.

LEMON: What's the most money you've made from doing this?

DAVEKOS: I might have won, I believe, $150 once in pigskin so that's where I cash out.

LEMON: That's it, really?

DAVEKOS: That's it. I just love it. I'm not for the money. I'm for the love of the game.

LEMON: All right. I want to get this name right. I think, what's his name? Takura Kobayashi (ph), what do you think about the controversy? He says he won't show up because major league eating won't let him compete in other contests. Do you think he'll be a no- show? What do you make of this controversy?

DAVEKOS: You know, I thought it was somewhat maybe publicity filled in the beginning. But I really don't think he's going to show. It's really too bad. Because I mean, Kobayashi is definitely - I wouldn't say a pioneer of the sport but six years straight he won our Super Bowl, the Nathan's favorite, which is occurring tomorrow at high noon on ESPN. He's amazing. He's great. I just think that he should show up and compete. I wouldn't want to go out this way. I think it's imperative that he shows up. It makes for a better competition. The Joey and Kobi (ph) rivalry is you know, amazing. Everyone loves that. Even as a competitor myself, I'm as big a fan as I am an eater. So I hope he shows up and he hope doesn't stink. That's my opinion.

LEMON: OK.

DAVEKOS: Sonya might have the same opinion.

LEMON: You're competing tomorrow, right?

DAVEKOS: Yes, high noon.

LEMON: And what do you predict you're going to do?

DAVEKOS: My goal is 30 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes. My record is 29. So that's why I always like to do a little better than I did last time. Sonya on the other hand is probably going for 40-something.

LEMON: OK. And you, what are you going for? What do you predict?

THOMAS: I'm going to try to do about 50, but I'm happy with 45.

DAVEKOS: She's so modest.

LEMON: We got to go. You guys are awesome. I could sit here and talk to you - we should have brought some - can we get some chips out of the vending machine to see how much they can eat before the competition tomorrow? No?

DAVEKOS: We already did it on the way up.

LEMON: Thanks, Pretty Boy.

DAVEKOS: Thank you.

LEMON: Thank you, black widow. THOMAS: Thank you very much. All right. That was fun.

DAVEKOS: Thank you very much for having us.

LEMON: For the fourth of July. We really appreciate it. I'm going to see who's going to win. Maybe we'll have the winner back if one of these guys win.

All right. It's Steve Martin like you've never seen him before. I want you to take a look at this.

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Actor, comedian, now musician. Coming up, Martin talks about a side of himself that we haven't seen on the big screen.

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LEMON: You know, to say Steve Martin is a man of many talents, well, that would be an understatement. He's a comedian, an actor and a writer. Then there's a skill you may not know about. He plays a mean banjo. He sat down - we sat down with Steve Martin at the () Music and Arts Festival where he played with the Steep Canyon Rangers.

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STEVE MARTIN, ACTOR, MUSICIAN: I've loved the banjo for a long time ever since I was a teenager. I grew up in Orange County, California, and there was a lot of folk music in those days. And they played the banjo in a very different way than I play it now or than I actually learned to play it. They played more of a folk music way. It was - like that.

But another style called free fingers played by Earl Scruggs and that was the real true bluegrass sound and that's what I really - that's when I really got seriously interested when I heard that sound.

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MARTIN: Bluegrass music was defined in the '40s, '50s, and '60s really but it's like being an impressionist painter today. You just can't do it. It just has to change in subtle ways and it can adhere to tradition but people will always be interpreting it. There's really a lot of young bands who are redefining bluegrass and still sticking to the original five or six instruments that define them.

It's very joyful and it's very moving. It's very unlike comedy because comedy you're always thinking what's next? What's next? That works. What's next? With music you can actually enjoy the moment and you can enjoy the audience's enjoyment of it. I mean, a song lasts three minutes, four minutes and you can have as much fun as the audience can.

(END VIDEOTAPE) LEMON: Very nice story put together by CNN producer Jason Morrison, editor, Jerry Appelman (ph). Nice job.

I'm Don Lemon at the CNN -- I should say, at the Time-Warner Center in New York.

MICHAEL JACKSON: THE FINAL DAYS, a special documentary, starts right now.