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Happy Birthday America!; The 4th in Afghanistan; Videos Gone Viral; Oil Spill Threatens Maryland Birds; Gigantic Skimmer Tested in the Gulf; Plenty of Room at the Beach; Gulf Coast Officials Disagree on Water Safety; Tips for Finding Summer Sale Bargains; BP Tries to Shut Down Safety Watchdog Unit
Aired July 04, 2010 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hard to believe, but take a look. This is a mural above a public escalator. Josh Levs will tell us where to find it in this hour's "Viral Video Rewind".
And country music legend Reba McEntire celebrates the Fourth of July at the U.S. Capital tonight. She'll give us a preview during the 4:00 P.M. Eastern hour.
And after 69 years Wonder Woman is finally getting a makeover. Thumbs up or thumbs down? 5:00 P.M. Eastern.
You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.
All right. All across America, celebrations for our birthday, and this one taking place in the heart of the nation's capitol, all sorts of star-spangled events are taking place on the National Mall on this Fourth of July.
CNN's Sandra Endo is watching all the fun. She's with us now, live from Washington where it is sizzling, right?
SANDRA ENDO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, yes, it is blazing hot out here, Fred, but the party's already started here. There is a huge parade traveling along Independence Avenue right now to celebrate the nation's birthday and people have come out from all over - locals, tourists, the like. They are staking out their spots because we're here right in front of the Washington Monument. You can see it right there.
That is where tonight there's going to be a huge fireworks spectacular celebration show here on the nation's capital. So you can see them picnicking, staking out their spots. They have tents and picnic blankets out, enjoying the hot, hot, hot weather.
And also here are people enjoying the day, getting food and drinks and these folks over here have the best spot. They have a little picnic table out here, enjoying some beverages. John, Amy and Devin are from here and also from Arizona.
So why did you come out here so early? Is it - has it been crazy for you? JOHN DILLON, VISITOR: You know, it hasn't been too crazy. We got out here early because we just wanted to make sure we got a good spot for fireworks.
ENDO: And I see you're enjoying a little double-fisting here. Two drinks are better than one, right?
AMY BARTON, VISITOR: Exactly.
ENDO: What are you hoping to see tonight?
BARTON: I'm just hoping to see great fireworks, good people celebrating patriotism and America's birthday.
ENDO: Oh, yes. And Devin, you're from Phoenix.
DEVIN DITALLO, VISITOR: Right. Yes.
ENDO: Compare the heat here in D.C. to Phoenix.
DITALLO: You know what? It's a lot hotter in Phoenix, but I don't sweat out there. So it's a little different kind of heat.
ENDO: And what are you hoping to see tonight?
DITALLO: I just - honestly, I want to see all of the monuments lit up. This is totally new for me. I've never been here before and so everything is really beautiful and it's fun to see and it's going to be really nice to see it with the fireworks too.
ENDO: All right.
So Fred, there you have it, people gearing up for the big party later on tonight. Again, it sets off around 9:00 Eastern time, the big fireworks spectacular here on the nation's capitol on the mall.
Fred, back to you.
WHITFIELD: All right. Always a fantastic sight. Lots of fun.
All right, thanks so much, Sandra Endo, there in the nation's capital.
All right, meantime, going abroad now, Vice President Joe Biden grabbed a burger and fries with U.S. troops in Iraq today. He's celebrating the Fourth for the second straight year there.
Biden is also meeting with Iraqi officials to discuss the country's political future and the withdrawal plans for U.S. troops.
All right, the president wants the U.S. to draw down to 50,000 troops in Iraq by the end of the summer. On CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION", Candy Crowley asked if that means the nation building plan for Iraq has been successful.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) REP. DUNCAN HUNTER (R), CALIFORNIA: We are trying to make Iraq into San Diego. It's never going to be San Diego. It's always going to be kind of the - the wild west. That's what they are. Afghanistan's the same way.
We're never going to make it like we are here, and they don't want to be like we are here in this nation, so let them do what they do nationally and make sure they're not a - a threat to us, and that's it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: In Afghanistan, same question. How do you measure success?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JOHN BOCCIERI (D), OHIO: We all agree that we have one commander in chief in the country, and that's the president of the United States. We respect his decision to move McChrystal out and move General Petraeus in.
Success in Afghanistan is going to be identified by the government standing up and making sure there's security in those outlying provinces.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: All right. So that is the challenge facing General David Petraeus. In a ceremony this morning he officially took command of the NATO-led International Security Forces in Afghanistan, and that includes around 90,000 U.S. troops in-country.
CNN's Atia Abawi has more from Bagram Air Base on how some of those troops are celebrating the Fourth of July.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ATIA ABAWI, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: General David Petraeus officially took command of ISAF forces on the Fourth of July in a ceremony held in Kabul, but Independence Day celebrations are here at Bagram Airfield where service members are trying to have a little fun, with a dumb (ph) tank, a barbecue, music, and this.
So it's a little bit of fun for the troops here in Afghanistan, having a little piece of America and Afghanistan.
CAPT. BRIDGETTE SCOTT, U.S. ARMY: It feels different. I mean, we are aware that there's a war going on, but, at the same time, we're all here serving the same (INAUDIBLE) and, I mean, we deserve to celebrate too. So -
But it's fun. I'm having a great time.
MASTER SGT. MICHAEL VARNO, U.S. AIR FORCE: We can't really do live fireworks here, so we're not going to see a fireworks show. But - I hope we don't see a fireworks show.
But I'm going to miss hanging out with my family, watching the fireworks and having a good time, watching the parades and stuff. So my family, the most.
ABAWI: The festivities ended with good food and good company, and although the troops do miss their family and friends, they say they are proud to be serving their country on their Independence Day.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: All right, Atia Abawi there from Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan.
A big test today, meantime, today in the Gulf of Mexico. This ship - this one, right here, could be a huge help in containing the oil spill.
But first, we want to share some greeting from more U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan on this Fourth of July weekend.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TSGT. ANTHONY BRANCO, U.S. ARMY: Hi. I'm Tech Sergeant Anthony Branco. I'm here at Joint Base Balad, Iraq.
I'd like to give a shout-out back home to my wife, Natalie and Tiago in Westport Massachusetts. Also my parents, Tony and Connie, and also my sister, Tracy (ph) and her husband Ron and son Miles in Fall River, Mass. Hope you all have a great Fourth of July.
CAPT. EVA SPAIN, U.S. ARMY: Hi. It's Captain Eva Spain from Joint Base Balad. I just want to say happy Fourth of July to my family in Middleton, Connecticut. Hi, dad. Save me some potato salad.
MAJ. GARRETT JONES, U.S. ARMY: Hi. This is Major Garrett Jones, stationed at the Regional Command West in Heart, Afghanistan.
I want to wish my wife, Sarah, my kids Mark and Margaret a happy Fourth of July. They're in Brookhaven, New York. I love you guys, and I miss you. See you soon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: OK. So it's the holiday, which means we've got to do this earlier than usual. We've got a little jiggy there going on.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Love it.
WHITFIELD: The "Viral Videos Rewind". That means Josh Levs has some interesting things that are just out of control on the internet, on YouTube, everywhere. People want to see more of it. LEVS: They do, and the first thing I have for you today is unlike anything I've ever seen. I'm going to take you on a journey here, all right?
Take a look at this thing. This is unbelievable. All these people clicking on it online. This is called a video mural, and this - what happens is if you were in the Standard Hotel in New York City, if you start on the first floor and you take the elevator all the way up, the whole way you're seeing a mural, and this represents -
WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness.
LEVS: -- the trip from hell all the way up to heaven. It depicts an ascent from hell all the way up to heaven.
What they did was they put together more than 500 different clips for this. There's some pretty amazing artistry.
Skip to the second section. I want you to see what happens as they get to a higher level.
WHITFIELD: Oh, OK.
LEVS: It becomes all heavenly and light.
WHITFIELD: Oh, I see.
LEVS: Isn't that pretty awesome? And so this in and of itself -
WHITFIELD: Yes. That's a little bit more comforting. This is feeling better now, right?
LEVS: Well, maybe this is the reason that people are going to want their rooms on a higher level of the - of the hotel.
WHITFIELD: Yes. Yes. This is happier.
LEVS: And so they took this and they made a viral video. And now people are clicking it online.
WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness.
LEVS: Yes.
WHITFIELD: Oh. That's bizarre.
LEVS: This stuff's amazing.
All right, now speaking of artistry. The next thing I'm going to show you -
WHITFIELD: (INAUDIBLE).
LEVS: Oh, yes. Here it is, right behind us. See? There -
WHITFIELD: Yes. It's the little blimp here. (INAUDIBLE) blimp? Yes.
LEVS: There is the little blimp.
WHITFIELD: Goodyear blimp lives on forever.
LEVS: I guess. Heaven is filled with circular bubbles and - and muscular man flexing his arms and various -
WHITFIELD: Right. You're stronger.
LEVS: Hot air balloons and - now we know what heaven's like.
All right, speaking of artistry, this is really cool. This an iPad portrait. All right, take a look at this. This guy - his name is David Jon Kassan. He sits down with a model in a chair and he gets on his iPad and he starts using the palette within the iPad to draw this man.
Now, you might wonder, you know, how many colors can there be.
WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness.
LEVS: And what we're seeing here is the compressed video in which he smushed three hours of work to complete this portrait. He says the model sat there the entire time. We're seeing in high speed how he's using technology to capture this face.
WHITFIELD: Oh my goodness. Look at that.
LEVS: Look at this.
WHITFIELD: That's good.
LEVS: It's unbelievable. And as you watch it more and more - in fact, skip to the second section I've put in there. You're going to see how clear - look at that.
WHITFIELD: Wow! That's remarkable.
LEVS: You can get all the -
WHITFIELD: It's looking like a photograph, almost, right?
LEVS: You know, something I haven't thought about -
WHITFIELD: (INAUDIBLE) fine painting.
LEVS: Isn't that amazing, though?
WHITFIELD: Yes.
LEVS: Because, you know, traditionally, portraits have been done forever. But here, one thing you can do with modern technology is get so far in you can try to nail every pore.
WHITFIELD: Gosh. That's finger art there. LEVS: Finger art.
WHITFIELD: Art with his finger.
LEVS: I love this guy.
OK, time for your adorable video.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
LEVS: All right, this is -
WHITFIELD: Oh, of course. We love this.
LEVS: You're going to love this one. And again, I'm going to say it again. Animals don't have to do anything. All they do is just -
WHITFIELD: Just be.
LEVS: -- and everyone loves it.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
LEVS: These are always the most popular videos even though it doesn't involve talent or skill or anything like what we just saw.
Look at these guys. It's a deer and a kitty cat who are best buds -
WHITFIELD: What? How did they get the deer - oh, listen to Kiran. Kiran's squealing. That's so cute.
LEVS: (INAUDIBLE).
WHITFIELD: Well, how did they get the deer to hang out in the house?
LEVS: Well, here's the story. So Hoppy the Deer is an internet sensation. He has his own website, Hoppythedear.com. He was an abandoned fawn, turned up on a couple's doorstep and he became fast friends with the family cat.
WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness. Look, they're like cleaning each other. That's so sweet.
LEVS: And, you know, apparently they ended up releasing him into the wild later on, but they saw him seven months later. He still had his collar on. So a little bit of relationship -
WHITFIELD: Oh. He didn't know what to do.
LEVS: Apparently there's still a little bit of relationship there.
WHITFIELD: Oh, wow. LEVS: I know. (INAUDIBLE).
WHITFIELD: Who knew we'd get so in-depth on this one? But I like it.
But you said it, you know? When you get to the adorable, cuddly stuff involving the animals -
LEVS: Seriously.
WHITFIELD: (INAUDIBLE).
LEVS: And people sold me on this early on. When we started "Viral Video Rewind", I would be like, well they're just sitting there. Nothing's happening. Everyone said more cute animals.
WHITFIELD: Yes. Yes. It's peaceful.
LEVS: OK. Now here's something ultra cool. Ultra cool.
Sometimes we have sports in here and sometimes you have what's called a sports fail where something goes wrong. But this is a sports fail that turns into a success. Look at this.
WHITFIELD: OK.
LEVS: This might be the best bowling moment I've ever seen. Watch what happens. The poor guy falls, but watch. Watch.
So he's stuck with his gutter ball, but keep your eyes on the ball. Watch what happens.
WHITFIELD: No. No. Even he has given up on it. And you see, like, picking his pants.
LEVS: Watch it. Watch it.
WHITFIELD: No.
LEVS: He's walked away.
WHITFIELD: They're like, turn around. Look what it's doing.
LEVS: Look at that. Luckiest strike ever.
WHITFIELD: Oh my goodness. And they just happen to be shooting it?
LEVS: I have no idea how it picked up enough torque to do that. But it's gotten more than 13,000 views in two days.
WHITFIELD: Oh, my god. He's more concerned about his pants right now, not that strike. I mean, what's going on with your pants? You know? I mean -
LEVS: Oh, man. WHITFIELD: I mean, this is the moment, dude, right here.
LEVS: Yes. I think people would be willing to have their pants look that bad if they knew they could get a viral video out of it.
WHITFIELD: Right. Right.
LEVS: OK. Time for our fun.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
LEVS: So the folks at JibJab, they get in touch with me sometimes.
WHITFIELD: Oh, OK. Yes.
LEVS: And it's July 4th.
WHITFIELD: OK.
LEVS: So they made me a video this week that I shared first - I'm here with Tony Harris. So happy July 4th from me and Tony. Take a look at this.
WHITFIELD: Let me see. I love it. Oh, that's cute.
LEVS: Now we've got Ben Franklin.
WHITFIELD: And actually, that is so Tony, right back there. Oh, yes.
LEVS: Well, so you think it's you? Because now we've got you in the next one. Everybody, here's me and Fred. Take a look at this. Here comes Fred.
WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness.
LEVS: Again, (INAUDIBLE).
WHITFIELD: Oh, yes. OK.
LEVS: Look - you think (INAUDIBLE).
WHITFIELD: How very cute.
LEVS: I think he got it down.
WHITFIELD: Oh, yes. Flapping the lips. Yes, that's me.
LEVS: (INAUDIBLE).
WHITFIELD: Oh, that's cute.
LEVS: We might want to go into business with this.
WHITFIELD: I like that. LEVS: All right. Well, as always, all of our viral videos are over the Facebook page. Facebook.com/JoshLevsCNN. You can stick anyone's face into that. That's JibJab.com. That one's for members. I think it's like $12 for the whole year to be a member of JibJab.
WHITFIELD: Oh, that's cute. Oh my goodness. Yes.
LEVS: And send us your favorites and then we'll have some of those next week.
WHITFIELD: Oh, very fun. Happy Fourth.
LEVS: I had of fun.
WHITFIELD: Yes. Very festive.
LEVS: She's got the moves. She (INAUDIBLE).
WHITFIELD: Oh, yes. All right. Check you later.
All right, coming up next, we've been telling you about this "A Whale".
LEVS: Oh, yes.
WHITFIELD: It's this giant skimmer that is coming from Taiwan and hopefully it will be an answer to the oil spill.
Well, our Paul Vercammen took a fly-over of the "A Whale". We're going to take you on a tour, coming up.
LEVS: All right.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: (AUDIO GAP) -- year-old man is on the mend after being bitten by a blue shark. U.S. Coast Guard officials say he caught the big fish off New York's Long Island and when he tried to take the lure out of its mouth, the shark struck back.
All right, success in space now, an unmanned Russian supply ship is now docked at the International Space Station after missing its mark on Friday. On board the cargo ship more fuel, oxygen, food and water, scientific experiments and some personal items for the crew members.
And the Fourth kicked off with one of the closest finishes in the 41 years of the Peachtree Road Race, 6.2 miles through the streets of Atlanta and there was a winner, right there, from Ethiopia, winning by a half step. More than 55,000 runners took part. Another update we'll have for you in about 20 minutes from now.
All right, the gulf is a major rest stop for migrating birds that rely on the gulf's wetlands as a place to stop, eat and recharge. Sandra Endo visited a bird sanctuary in Maryland where the far away oil spill threaten the survival of an already endangered bird there. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ENDO (voice-over): Soaring brown pelicans, foamy waves washing the shore, sand untouched for miles. Welcome to Assateague Island National Seashore of Maryland's coast, home to these small, fluffy piping plover birds.
It's nesting time for these endangered birds. Since 1986, they've been protected.
CARL ZIMMERMAN, NATIONAL PARK SERVICE: These plover birds nest in these open sandy areas right directly on the ground. There are a number of animals here on the island that would just love to - to make a meal out of those eggs.
So those cages protect those eggs from things like crows, fox, some other birds. So it's our attempt to help give that bird, this rare bird, a little leg up.
We've probably got somewhere in the neighborhood of 80 or 90 birds.
ENDO (on camera): That doesn't seem like a lot.
ZIMMERMAN: Well, it's not.
ENDO (voice-over): Now, another threat, the massive oil spill along the Gulf Coast where the piping plover migrates in winter. These pictures of oil covered birds could foreshadow the piping plover's fate.
Because of the concern, a team of scientists tagged and took blood samples from the birds to record their condition before they migrate south.
ZIMMERMAN: The idea is to try to over the course of this coming year to recapture some of those birds down in their wintering grounds, take additional blood samples and then try and see whether or not they're being affected by it.
ENDO (on camera): This barrier island is so unique. It's been able to maintain its natural habitat. Even wild horses roam freely here, and it's also home to many other bird species which could be affected by the gulf oil spill.
ENDO (voice-over): It'll take at least a year to find out the oil's impact on these feathered families. The American Bird Conservancy says the problem could take a global toll.
MICHAEL PARR, AMERICAN BIRD CONSERVANCY: It's really birds from all over North America and birds who do move on to South America as well. So it's a real mix. But we're talking about millions of individual birds.
ZIMMERMAN: We've got to be optimistic and hope it'll turn out OK for these guys. ENDO: For a chance to thrive in this place of protection.
Sandra Endo, CNN, Assateague Island, Maryland.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: A whale of a ship could be a big help for efforts to contain the BP oil spill, and that's actually the name of this 300- yard long Taiwanese vessel - "A Whale". That's what it's called.
It's billed as the world largest skimming vessel and they're testing it in the gulf this weekend. Initial results from the tests are expected, actually, tomorrow.
Meantime, CNN producer Paul Vercammen flew over that huge skimmer today. He's joining us now by phone from Houma, Louisiana. So Paul, what did you see?
PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN PRODUCER: Well, what I saw is one massive ship out there, which was "A Whale" and it's in the middle of testing. One of the things that they were doing today was they were releasing some water from the top of the bows so the ship wouldn't cut through the waves to such an extent that it would be very choppy out there.
Now, the reason why they don't want it to be choppy is consider a whale's mouth. Below the bow they have cut in these grates which can suck in what would best be described as oily water. And in fact they brag and say that they might be able to suck in as many as 400,000 gallons of this oily water in a day and if, you know, that's the case, this could be a huge solution to the problem.
Now, logistically, one of the difficulties is we also flew over the leak site today. You've got a lot of vessels and stationary platforms in and around the leak site. "A Whale" was so big it's actually 3 1/2 football fields long and one football field wide. It sort of precludes anything else from moving in and around it, and obviously the strategy would be to get it very close to the leak site and just grab stuff as it comes on out.
So what they want to do eventually, and I think the next pictures you will see are of the leak site. They want to hopefully conclude with this test, make sure that everything's a-OK and then position that thing right there and watch the whale suck up like its plankton as much oily water as it can, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Wow. That's fantastic. Hopefully it would be effective because that just might be something that would be worthy right now in the Gulf of Mexico.
Paul Vercammen, thanks so much. Appreciate that.
Meantime, of course, it is Fourth of July weekend, which traditionally means a lot of people head to the beaches, but not necessarily along some Gulf Coast beaches. There's our John Zarrella. He'll be joining us from the beach soon and it looks like actually you're not alone out there. JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, I'm really not. You know, in an average Fourth of July, though, this beach in Gulf Shores, Alabama would be packed, but this is not your average Fourth of July, and I'll have that story when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: OK, of course a lot of people usually head to the beaches on the Fourth of July weekend. Not - not so much the case now with parts of the Gulf Coast given that oil spill, but our John Zarrella has ventured out anyway to Gulf Shores, Alabama because, sadly, what is not there has become the story, right?
ZARRELLA: Yes. That's exactly right. The tourists, you know, they expect their business down here in Gulf Shores, Alabama down about 50 percent, and we talked to a life guard a little while ago. He said, you know, they drive these little golf carts around here. On a normal Fourth of July, he was telling us, you couldn't drive a golf cart out here.
Now, you can see, Fredricka, you can have golf court - cars - golf cart races out here today. That's how few people there are.
The beaches here - the water here is closed to swimming, but they have allowed people to go into the water, they're telling us, so they can cool off, put their feet in, dip, because it is pretty hot here, but they're not supposed to be swimming.
Over in Pensacola, in Florida, they have not banned people from swimming and that's become quite a bit of a controversy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ZARRELLA (voice-over): More cleanup crews than we have seen in days scoured this section of Pensacola Beach. Perhaps just a coincidence EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson dropped by for a first-hand look at the work.
LISA JACKSON, ADMINISTRATOR, ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY: Yes. That has no odor, so the (INAUDIBLE) are long gone out of there.
ZARRELLA: While it's pretty clear the beach is a mess, what isn't clear to people here is whether the water is safe for swimming.
ZARRELLA (on camera): Oil impact notice. These are the signs that have now been posted on all the 40 miles of Escambia County's coastline, and they say avoid wading, swimming or entering the water. But they don't say you can't get in.
ZARRELLA (voice-over): What would Administrator Jackson do?
JACKSON: Based on the fact that this beach has been oiled, no, I would not go into the water today.
ZARRELLA: Cindy O'Sullivan and Jamie King (ph) couldn't agree more. They've lived in Pensacola for years. (on camera): Would you get in that water right now?
CINDY O'SULLIVAN, LIVES IN PENSACOLA, FLORIDA: There's no way. I don't understand why people are in it. It looks good, it looks pretty, but it's not.
ZARRELLA (voice-over): Well, that depends upon who you talk with.
DR. JOHN LANZA, HEALTH DIR., ESCAMBIA COUNTY, FLORIDA: Right now, I would go into the water.
ZARRELLA: Dr. John Lanza heads the county health department. Lanza believes the water is safe unless you see tarballs or a sheen on the water or you feel oily -- and not from suntan lotion.
For now, the county commission is not banning swimming until the EPA gives them concrete guidance.
LANZA: Until we get a standard from the EPA on the levels of the petrochemicals in the water so that we don't suggest people go into the water specifically for that, we can't do anything.
JACKSON: There is nothing that I'm going to be able to tell you in a chemical lab that you can't learn about the safety of the water from a bathing purpose by looking at it and smelling it.
ZARRELLA: It looked pretty good to the Von Schlitz (ph) family vacationing from Oklahoma. They played in the surf. They hadn't seen the "Avoid the water" sign, and no one told them not to go in.
(on camera): If they were warning you to stay out of the water --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Then we would not have gone in.
ZARRELLA: You wouldn't have gotten in.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ZARRELLA: Now, we -- you know, you can see again, Fredricka, that the beach is empty here. But our producer, Eric Siegel (ph), was in town last night and tried to get in the water. The restaurant -- a few of the restaurants, they actually had a two-hour wait to get into a lot of the restaurants here. So at least the restaurateurs, some of the folks, are doing well, at least as well as can be expected, considering what's going on. And you can see these girls back here having a good time on -- having a good time, ladies?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes!
ZARRELLA: All right. You haven't been in the water, have you? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.
ZARRELLA: All right. Good. Just a little bit. OK. Well, just a little bit, I guess, is OK -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Well, I'm glad they're very enthusiastic, and I know the restaurateurs are very happy that people have come and they're giving them business, even though --
ZARRELLA: Yes.
WHITFIELD: -- folks can't --
ZARRELLA: Yes.
WHITFIELD: -- take a dip in the water. All right, John Zarrella, thanks so much, from Gulf Shores.
ZARRELLA: Yes.
WHITFIELD: Oh, wait! Before I let you go, what about the fireworks tonight? Will there be any?
ZARRELLA: Yes. I thought you'd never ask!
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: I know! I almost forgot!
ZARRELLA: Yes, in fact, there will be tonight. Yes, they're -- they're going to put a barge out here, and there will be fireworks here. Some of the communities along the Gulf Coast have canceled them because of the issues with the tar on the beach, but they did a really good job here, I have to say. The beach is very, very clean here today. It's -- it's really -- it's really a nice day here -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Oh, it looks beautiful! All right, thanks so much. I'm envious that you're heading out on the beach and I'm here in the studio. What can I say? All right, John Zarrella, thanks so much -- Gulf Shores.
All right, Karen Maginnis is here in the weather center. And you know, at least folks are having a good time being on the beach, even though they can't take a dip in the water.
KAREN MAGINNIS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: And you and I both, when he said there was a two-hour wait at the restaurant, went, Wow!
(CROSSTALK)
MAGINNIS: That is good. That is good to hear.
WHITFIELD: Yes. MAGINNIS: But when you really do look at the big picture all along the Gulf Coast from Louisiana over towards the panhandle of Florida -- yes, we've heard about the beach situation. And we've got beach closures. This is a look at the Alabama beaches -- "No swimming," "No swimming," "Significant oiling," "No swimming.
WHITFIELD: (INAUDIBLE)
MAGINNIS: Yes. That says a lot. And that pretty much covers the beautiful beaches in Alabama. But you look at Florida, as well, extending in towards the panhandle -- use caution, "Avoid oil," "Avoid oil," "Avoid oil," tarballs. Panama City -- NOAA yesterday issued an advisory that said that it -- the oil may reach the southwest shores of Florida, about a 60 to 80 percent likelihood within the next couple of months. So that is something that does bear in mind. We'll keep you updated on what happens there.
All right, let's try to get rid of this and show you some other things that are going on. Want to tell you a little bit -- let's go ahead and show you the video right now. We've got a heavy surf advisory, and this extends from Ventura County all the way down to San Diego. Now, some of these wave heights are going to be between 10 to 15 feet. Fredricka, you know, whenever we say this, guess what happens?
WHITFIELD: Oh. I was looking forward for the, you know, surfers to really enjoy it, but you're going to give us something --
MAGINNIS: Exactly. Well, there are rip currents --
WHITFIELD: Yes, yes (INAUDIBLE)
MAGINNIS: We're going to see some of these wave heights.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
MAGINNIS: At Newport Beach, they're saying at the Wedge (ph) that these could be up to around 15 feet or so.
WHITFIELD: Wow!
MAGINNIS: But nonetheless, this gets everybody excited and --
WHITFIELD: Oh, you'd love that if you were a surfer!
MAGINNIS: Yes. Totally rude, dude!
WHITFIELD: Yes!
MAGINNIS: We're there!
WHITFIELD: Come on down!
(LAUGHTER)
MAGINNIS: All right, enjoy yourselves. WHITFIELD: I wish I could handle a wave like that, you know, but --
MAGINNIS: Yes --
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: I like watching that.
MAGINNIS: The water temperature is in the low 60s.
WHITFIELD: Oh!
MAGINNIS: You need a wetsuit!
WHITFIELD: You need a wetsuit, yes. That's kind of chilly for -- I like it when it's 80-something. I kind of like backwater on the beach.
MAGINNIS: That's the Gulf Coast, yes.
WHITFIELD: I know. All right, Karen, thanks so much. We'll check back with you. Appreciate that.
All right, competitive eating fans, have no fear, he is still keeping the title! This was the scene at Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs on Coney Island just a short while ago -- you know, traditionally -- oh, God! Oh, yuck!
Joey Chestnut maintained his esophageal appeal, winning the hot dog eating event for the fourth year in a row. He ate 54 frankfurters and buns in just 10 minutes. That means he's keeping the yellow mustard belt. The second place finisher managed to get down just 45 hot dogs. There's the belt right there -- (INAUDIBLE). Chestnut's major rival, a Japanese competitive eater, Takeru Kobayashi did not participate this year due to a contract dispute. He decided to let somebody else win this year.
And then there are the -- you know, since we're on an eating kind of thing right here -- the cherry pit spitters. The object of this 4th of July tradition is to spit a cherry pit as far as you can. Very appetizing there. It's an international competition, by the way, with spitters as far away as Europe coming to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, to take part. The reigning champion, Rick "Pellet Gun" Kraus of Arizona, won again with a 51-foot-3-inch spit. You know, it's a family talent. Kraus's wife, Marlene, won the women's contest, as well.
Somehow, I've lost my appetite now.
All right, the stores are filled with summer sales this weekend. A lot of folks like to head out and spend a little money, get a bargain or two. How to find true bargains right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, a look at our top stories right now. More Republicans are jumping on board, criticizing the chairman of their own party's national committee. The latest barbs against Michael Steele's leadership come from GOP Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham. Earlier in the week, Steele said the Afghanistan war, which was launched by former president George W. Bush, was a war, quote, "of Obama's choosing" and may be unwinnable. Well, yesterday, Liz Cheney called for Steele's resignation.
And a drug sub has been seized in Ecuador. Security forces working with American drug agents uncovered the submarine that was built in a remote jungle. The 98-foot homemade sub was supposed to be used to carry cocaine, but it was captured before its maiden voyage.
And it's a much busier holiday on the roads compared to last year. Here are the numbers from AAA right now. They say right now, around 35 million people are traveling this holiday weekend. That's up 17 percent up from last year. Ninety percent of all travelers are going by car.
All right, this holiday weekend is usually a pretty big weekend for smart shopping, as well, but we know it's not easy finding a true bargain. It can actually take a little know-how these days.
And here to let us in one of the big shopping secrets, lifestyle expert Debra Shigley. Good to see you.
DEBRA SHIGLEY, LIFESTYLE EXPERT: Thank you. Good to see you.
WHITFIELD: OK, so shopping is not easy anymore. In order to get a good deal, you've got to be savvy, you've got to be smart. You've got to know, you know, when to take advantage of the bargains, when to compare and all that. So let's begin with this whole member thing. Some stores, you know, offer incentives, like 20 percent off if you become a member. How do you know when to measure (ph) what's good and what's not so good?
SHIGLEY: Well, typically, you don't want to spend any money to become a member. And the other thing is you can actually become a member to a lot of these on-line sites. There's a whole glut of on- line sites that are, quote, unquote, "membership only.' Basically, that just means you give your e-mail address and you get a whole slew of sale e-mails every other day. Gilt (ph), Rulala (ph), Idealy.com (ph), Hotlook (ph), Covetmill (ph) -- there's literally a new one every single day popping up --
WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh. I've never even heard of some of these --
SHIGLEY: Yes. They're --
WHITFIELD: -- you just rattled off.
SHIGLEY: -- great place (ph) -- 80 percent off of the retail price and different merchandise every single day. So you kind of have to watch your budget a little bit --
WHITFIELD: Yes.
SHIGLEY: -- but you can score some great deals that way.
WHITFIELD: OK. And then how do you know whether you're getting a really good deal? Because sometimes, you know, people are thinking about great designer brands. They want to go toward that.
SHIGLEY: Right.
WHITFIELD: They -- you know, they're enticed by the word "sale," but then how do you know --
SHIGLEY: Right.
WHITFIELD: -- that you're really getting a good price --
SHIGLEY: Right.
WHITFIELD: -- especially on designer goods?
SHIGLEY: Well, the first thing you want to look at is cost versus cost per wear. This is an important metric. Basically, look at the price tag and think, OK, how many times am I going to wear that, and divide it into the price tag.
WHITFIELD: OK.
SHIGLEY: So let's say you have a blue sequined dress, which is fabulous. It's 100 bucks and marked down from $700. Seems like a deal, but not really because you're probably only wearing it once on maybe, like, the 4th of July or something.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
SHIGLEY: So it's not really a bargain, whereas a bag that's $350, you carry it every day, if it's a basic black bag. That's $1 per wear. That actually a really good bargain.
WHITFIELD: All right, so wait a minute. Give me your formula again on the math here?
SHIGLEY: So take the price tag of the item and divide it by the number of times you will actually wear that item. So that means a pair of black pants or jeans that are a couple hundred bucks can actually be a very good deal if you're going to wear them a couple of times a week for the rest of the year.
WHITFIELD: OK. Very good. You need to cross check some of the suggested retail prices. You go -- you know, say, for instance, you go to a place that's a discount, and they say, This was $1,000. You can have it right now for $500. And then come to find out it was really never $1,000 anyway.
SHIGLEY: Yes, you want to see what it says on the price tag, but sometimes there's a little mistake. And retailers, they --
WHITFIELD: An intentional mistake.
SHIGLEY: They try to be conscientious about this, that sometimes, you know, the price fluctuates, that kind of thing. Basically, cross check it because there has been a little bit of controversy that the supposed --
WHITFIELD: Well, how do you do that? How do you cross check?
SHIGLEY: Google it. You should also know --
WHITFIELD: Google?
SHIGLEY: -- the general range of prices for certain designers. You can tend to know if you shop certain designers, usually, what that would typically run, and then look for those same designers at your bargain places.
WHITFIELD: Wow. So you think you can really look like a million bucks out there without having to spend a whole lot of money?
SHIGLEY: Absolutely.
WHITFIELD: Because of all these little shortcuts.
SHIGLEY: Yes. And the biggest thing, too, is to know your brands. Let's say you are someone who likes three or four different brands. Most of the clothes (INAUDIBLE) items that you pay full price are those brands. Well, when you go to the on-line stores or when you go to the discount stores, look for only those brands because that saves you time in terms of sifting through all the stuff. Nobody likes to spend all day sifting through all the racks. Beeline for the brands you know and love.
WHITFIELD: OK, and this whole "consider renting" stuff -- I didn't realize people were still doing that. I remember, you know, in the "Sex and the City" movie --
SHIGLEY: Yes.
WHITFIELD: -- right, the first one --
SHIGLEY: Yes.
WHITFIELD: -- it was renting the handbag. I've heard a lot of other people who do that, as well. Is that still, you know, kind of thing to do? Are there other things to rent?
SHIGLEY: Well, there are other things to rent. You can actually rent clothing and accessories. And there are a few new sites that have popped up. One of them is Renttherunway, which is so cool because, basically, they have designer dresses, the hottest, latest stuff, literally straight off the runway, plus accessories. And you can rent a dress that costs maybe $1,000 for 10 percent of the retail prices, which is actually a really great thing to do if --
WHITFIELD: It really makes sense. You may only wear it once. SHIGLEY: Absolutely. Absolutely.
WHITFIELD: (INAUDIBLE) your kind of thing --
SHIGLEY: Yes.
WHITFIELD: You know how many events do you have to go to?
SHIGLEY: Right. Right. Right.
(LAUGHTER)
SHIGLEY: Exactly. You don't want people to see you wearing the same thing twice, or whatever.
WHITFIELD: Have you tried that? Have you tried the whole rental thing?
SHIGLEY: Yes. It's fantastic. Yes. It's really easy --
WHITFIELD: So the quality of the item and -- you know, it's clean and all that good stuff?
SHIGLEY: Oh, absolutely.
WHITFIELD: If you think about wearing something after somebody else --
SHIGLEY: It's easy. It's like Netflix for dresses. Basically, they ship it to you. You put it in the box, send it right back, and it's done.
WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh!
SHIGLEY: Yes.
WHITFIELD: All right.
SHIGLEY: Very (INAUDIBLE)
WHITFIELD: -- Debra Shigley, helping us to save a little money, have a little bit more fun with shopping. I'm not a crazy big shopper. It just seems very laborious and not, you know, that much fun. But --
SHIGLEY: Yes.
WHITFIELD: -- I don't know. Maybe you've --
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: Yes, maybe I'll go shopping with you and it could be fun.
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: All right, good so see you.
SHIGLEY: Good to see you, too.
WHITFIELD: Thank you so much.
SHIGLEY: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: Hopefully, we're going to save a little money here!
All right, well, BP, of course, they are under fire again.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
REP. BART STUPAK (D) MICHIGAN: The logic was, Well, we'll make things better. Well, we don't see --
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS UNIT: Their logic was, Trust us.
STUPAK: Trust us.
GRIFFIN: You don't.
STUPAK: No.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: OK. We've learned that BP is trying to close down a special unit created to actually address safety concerns. The investigation straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: For the past four years, BP has paid for an internal watchdog unit. It was created under congressional pressure in the wake of BP oil spills in Alaska and a devastating fire and explosion at its refinery in Texas City, Texas. Well, the unit is supposed to investigate worker complaints about safety, and if true, do something about them. Well, that was the promise, but now BP is trying to eliminate the program. Special Investigations Unit correspondent Drew Griffin reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS UNIT (voice-over): For 26 years, Jeanne Pascal was a lawyer for the Environmental Protection Agency, investigating and helping to prosecute some of the worst environmental polluters in the Northwest, including oil companies in Alaska. And the worst of the worst, she says, is British Petroleum.
(on camera): You described BP as a serial environmental criminal.
JEANNE PASCAL, FORMER ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY ATTORNEY: I have.
GRIFFIN: Do you believe that?
PASCAL: I do.
GRIFFIN (voice-over): BP has pled guilty to illegally discharging oil in Alaska and also faces a criminal complaint alleging it violated clean air and water laws. Pascal retired earlier this year, so she is now free to speak out about a company she says repeatedly violates environmental laws.
PASCAL: From my perspective, BP has for a long time been a company that is interested in profits first and foremost. Safety and health and environment are subjugated to profit-making. And I do not think that has changed.
GRIFFIN: In congressional hearings after the fatal explosion at BP's Texas refinery in 2005, lawmakers asked BP's then CEO, Did workers warn about safety issues at the plant? He said they had not. There were questions about whether they feared retaliation or speaking up.
(on camera): Bottom line, after pressure from lawmakers, BP opened an independent ombudsman's office to manage and hear the safety concerns of its workers. It's run by a former federal judge, just not here in Alaska.
It's a very small office, tucked away inside this office building here in Washington, D.C. But British Petroleum has been running this employee complaints program for several years.
(voice-over): The independent former judge who runs the unit refused to comment to CNN.
Michigan Congressman Bart Stupak was one of those who pressured BP.
(on camera): The entire reason that office came to fruition was because of safety.
REP. BART STUPAK (D), MICHIGAN: It was because of safety, yes. And safety concerns continue yet today.
GRIFFIN (voice-over): Since the ombudsman office opened, 112 BP workers have come forward to file reports. Thirty-five of them deal with, quote, "system integrity or safety issues." And the ombudsman's office says they are extremely serious.
But "Keeping Them Honest," sources close to the ombudsman's office tells CNN BP doesn't like it and its independent investigators, and that it doesn't like employees reporting safety problems outside the company.
A union representative says some BP workers who complained have faced retaliation. Jeanne Pascal agrees.
PASCAL: Many of the employees who have actually reported safety -- health, environmental and safety issues, particularly in Alaska, have been retaliated against. They've been demoted. They've been terminated. And they've also been blackballed.
GRIFFIN: A BP spokesman tells CNN the company has, quote, a "zero tolerance" policy regarding retaliation. The company, he says, is unaware of any unresolved cases that violate the policy.
And there's this. Not long after he took over as chairman of BP America, Lamar McKay (ph) met with Congressman Stupak.
STUPAK: One of the first things Mr. McKay said was, I'm going to replace the ombudsman. I'm going to shut 'er down. And we -- What do you mean? And he wasn't even on the job but a few weeks and -- maybe a month or two, and he started wanting to shut down the ombudsman. And we encouraged him not to do so.
GRIFFIN (on camera): Doesn't it stun you that he would make that remark?
STUPAK: Yes, it did. We were shocked that they would even bring it up in, like, the first meeting and then the second meeting we had with them. The logic was, Well, we'll make things better. Well, we don't see --
GRIFFIN: Their logic was, Trust us.
STUPAK: Trust us.
GRIFFIN: You don't.
STUPAK: No.
GRIFFIN (voice-over): BP has said it can do a good job investigating complaints through an established internal system without the ombudsman's office.
PASCAL: I think at some point, a reasonable person has to come to the conclusion that this is a company that has no intention of changing its mode of operation, that the dollar is going to be paramount, and that the health safety and safety of American workers and the American environment are a secondary or tertiary concern.
GRIFFIN: Before the Deepwater Horizon disaster, BP promised Stupak in writing that its watchdog unit would be in place for at least another year. But a source inside the ombudsman's office tells CNN, Frankly, I'm surprised we're still here.
Drew Griffin, CNN, Seattle.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: U.S. Marines are known as one of the military's most elite, well-trained fighting machines, but did you know that they're also full of grace? We'll take a look at their fancy footwork.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, this is going to be played out throughout the evening in so many different cities. iReporters are already sharing their 4th of July images with us today. This was the fireworks display in Columbus, Ohio, Friday night. Geoffrey Roitich captured the celebration with his iPhone. He says more than 250,000 people showed up to watch the fireworks.
And on this Independence Day weekend, a show of patriotism by the U.S. Marines. Take a look.
(VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: All right, General David Petraeus takes command in Afghanistan. We'll tell you what he said today about the mission, and we'll show you how troops are celebrating the 4th of July.
And we told you about the hot dog eating contest and who won earlier today. In the 5:00 o'clock Eastern hour, we'll tell you about how the eaters' different techniques actually might make the difference between winning or losing. Josh Levs will be joining me on that. That's all coming up beginning at 4:00 Eastern time. But first, here's "YOUR $$$$$."
