Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Mortar Attacks on Iraq's Green Zone; Petraeus Takes Command; Gigantic Skimmer Tested in the Gulf; America's 234th Birthday; Eating Contest Ends in Arrest; Wonder Woman Gets a Makeover; Gulf Coast Beaches Quiet this Holiday Weekend; Michael Steele Pressured to Resign as RNC Chair; Scholars Rank US Presidents; Bob Dole Raises Spirits of Wounded Military at Walter Reed
Aired July 04, 2010 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: General David Petraeus takes command in Afghanistan, declaring that the war is at a critical moment.
And Washington gets ready to celebrate a Capitol Fourth. We'll take you to the National Mall.
And the Annual Coney Island hot dog eating contest ends with an arrest of a former champ.
You're in the CNN NEWSROOM, where the news unfolds live this Sunday, July 4th. Happy Independence Day. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.
But first, a Fourth of July attack on the green zone in Baghdad. Iraqi officials say mortar rounds hit the highly-fortified area today. All this on the day that the vice president of the United States, Joe Biden, is in Iraq, visiting with U.S. troops.
Let's go straight to Arwa Damon in Baghdad. Arwa, do we know where the vice president may have been at the time of these attacks?
ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, at this stage the U.S. embassy is not confirming the whereabouts of the vice president or of his wife when that attack took place, nor are they saying where they are right now. All of this, of course, for security reasons.
What they are saying is that a small explosion happened, that they are looking into the incident. When we asked them about - specifically about the Bidens' whereabouts and their condition, they were quick to emphasize the fact that this attack caused no casualties or damage.
Now, Iraqi police that we're talking to are saying that they believe that the cause of the explosions was three mortar rounds. And if you remember back in September when the vice president was here, there also was an attack on the green where mortar rounds fell in that area as well. We do also know that the vice president was at the embassy earlier this evening, giving a speech and meeting with various Iraqi and U.S. officials. Of course, all of this is coming against the backdrop of the U.S.'s continued drawdown from Iraq. Remember they are trying to hit that target of 50,000 troops by the end of August.
We heard earlier from the vice president where he was emphasizing the security gains that he had seen, expressing his optimism that a government here would be formed quickly. However, it is important to point out that that optimism, that perspective on the situation on the ground here in Iraq is not really being shared by a majority of Iraqi officials we're talking to nor by the Iraqi population itself.
Just today, there was a female suicide bomber that struck in Al Anbar province and a car bomb that detonated in the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right. Arwa Damon, joining us from Baghdad. Thanks so much for that update.
All right, meantime to Afghanistan now and a new man in charge, General David Petraeus taking the reign today of the international force there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: General David Petraeus now assumes command of the United States versus Afghanistan, effective 4 July, 2010.
WHITFIELD (voice-over): Petraeus is replacing Stanley McChrystal and at the change of command ceremony, Petraeus offered this reminder of the mission at hand.
GEN. DAVID PETRAEUS, COMMANDER, NATO FORCES AFGHANISTAN: As each of you knows well, we are engaged in a tough fight. After years of war, we have arrived at a critical moment. We must demonstrate to the Afghan people and to the world that al Qaeda and its network of extremist allies will not be allowed to once again establish sanctuaries in Afghanistan from which they can launch attacks on the Afghan people and on freedom-loving nations around the world.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: The ISAF boasts around 120,000 international troops, but the majority are from the U.S.
Meantime, General Petraeus backs President Obama's plans to start drawing down in Afghanistan by this time next year, but he also says the plan depends on conditions on the ground. Afghanistan's ambassador to the U.S. talked about the timetable this morning on CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION" with Candy Crowley.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Is the U.S. deadline of beginning to pull out troops in July of next year helpful to Afghanistan? SAID JAWAD, AFGHAN AMBASSADOR TO THE U.S.: No. Frankly not, for two reasons. First, if you overemphasize a deadline that is not realistic, you're making the enemy a lot more bold. You are prolonging the war.
That - that deadline should be realistic. That deadline should be based on the reality on the ground and we should give a clear message to the enemy, to the terrorists who are a threat to everyone, the United States, NATO and Afghans are there to finish this job.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Now to the gulf oil disaster. It is day 76 of the oil spill, and right now a test is being conducted on what's being billed as the world's largest oil skimmer. It's called the "A Whale" and if the tests works, this could help get rid of a whole lot of oil.
CNN producer Paul Vercammen was on board the skimmer today, and he joins us now from Houma, Louisiana where, oh, thankfully the rain has finally died off a little bit. Tell us about that excursion to the "A Whale".
PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN PRODUCER: Well, Fredricka, what we did is we overflew it today as the "A Whale" was out at sea, testing its maneuverability, and the reason there's so much optimism surrounding "A Whale" is a ship that's registered to the Taiwanese. That's why it hasn't been here before.
It came all the way over from Europe after being retrofitted in Portugal and what they did is in a sense think of a whale's mouth. They cut these gates with bars into the front of the ship and it can take in water, oily water, and then put it through a siphoning process and basically cleanse it.
So they're out there right now trying to test the maneuverability. The "A Whale" is absolutely massive, 3 1/2 football fields long and one football field wide, so they need to make sure that it doesn't get in the way when it is indeed out there skimming. They want to put it very close to the source.
I talked to the Coast Guard earlier about testing the "A Whale", Lieutenant David French, and he talked about what they were doing out at sea today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVE FRENCH, U.S. COAST GUARD: And what we were really looking for on the "A Whale" is, you know, can it do what it's claimed to do? Because this is absolutely new technology that's never been tried before.
So they're out there for - for the next 48 hours, trying to test its oil-skimming capabilities and its ability to maneuver in tight quarters out there, because, as you know, we've got approximately 3,000 ships fighting oil off the coast here of Louisiana, and so they have to maneuver in tight quarters, and 1,100 foot ship, that can be a pretty challenging effort.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VERCAMMEN: Now, you might be asking yourself, what was "A Whale" before it became a super skimmer? Well, basically it was hauling oil and iron ore and it was christened just this year, 2010, and it's been around the world, five continents already, Fredricka.
And, interestingly enough, it might have made this long, circuitous journey and it might be a key figure in the fight against the spread of the oil here in the gulf right now.
WHITFIELD: Wow. That would be nice.
Paul Vercammen, thanks so much, joining us from Houma, Louisiana.
So meantime, folks who live along the gulf are going without a lot this summer. Now add Fourth of July fireworks to the list. The cities of Dauphin Island, Alabama and Grand Isle, Louisiana have canceled shows this year due to a lack of money, in large part because of the oil spill.
Now, the owner of the Bridge Side Marina told CNN Friday that they're canceling fireworks displays because they're worried sparks from the fireworks just might ignite the oil that's in the water nearby.
Let's check in with our Karen Maginnis. Boy, it's been a tough, tough Fourth of July celebration, really no celebration, Fourth of July weekend for a lot of folks along the gulf for those reasons.
KAREN MAGINNIS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. And they live with this every day. We hear about it in the headlines, read about it in the newspapers, but they actually live with this. And it's been - it's going on to three months now and it looks like the beaches severely affected at least in a number of areas.
We're looking at these Florida beaches. They're saying avoid the water because we've got oil. Pensacola, avoid oil; Destin; Fort Walton Beach, avoid the oil, tar balls in Panama City, Florida.
These are some of the most beautiful beaches in the entire world, with that sugar sand beach, and here they are, just devastated by 75 plus days now where the oil keeps moving closer and closer to those uncharted territory beaches.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says between 60 and 80 percent chance that that oil is going to make its way down in towards the panhandle, the lower portion of the peninsula, I should say, of Florida. There you can see closed waters, Orange Beach, also Gulf Shores.
But let's go ahead and talk about our other big story, and that is the searing heat across the northeast, and for Washington, D.C. the next several days, those temperatures are going to be in the triple- digits. So we have our heat wave that is on across the northeast. We just took a Washington, D.C., their temperatures there have been in the mid 90s today and you can imagine it feels a lot more pressingly hot than that.
Go to Philadelphia, it's going to be triple-digits by Tuesday, and Fred, New York City probably not at record-setting temperatures, but coming really, really, really close. Yes.
WHITFIELD: Oh, boy. Well, let's hope the breeze off the water might help out, for folks at least in New York City.
All right. Karen Maginnis, thanks so much.
MAGINNIS: OK.
WHITFIELD: Now, we're going to head back to Washington, D.C., where it's sizzling on this Fourth of July where people are celebrating America's birthday in the nation's capitol. We'll go live to the National Mall where it has been jam-packed with activities. You see all the people there. Our Sandra Endo is in the midst of it all too.
But first, U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan are bridging the distance with some special greetings for their loved ones this holiday.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SPEC. CODY KULL, U.S. ARMY: This is Specialist Kull from Joint Base Balad.
I just wanted to wish my wife, Sandy Hun (ph) a happy birthday and a happy Fourth of July as well. I love you, baby girl. I'm going to get home safe to you.
SR. MASTER SGT. THOMAS WOOD, U.S. AIR FORCE: Greetings from Joint Base Balad. I'm Senior Master Thomas Wood.
Mom, Dad, miss you and love you. And I want to wish everybody else in Gulfport a great Fourth of July.
STAFF SGT. CODY MURRAY, U.S. AIR FORCE: Hi. I'm Staff Sergeant Cody Murray.
SR. AIRMAN DANIELLE MURRAY, U.S. AIR FORCE: I'm Senior Airman Danielle Murray from Joint Base Balad, Iraq.
C. MURRAY: Hi, Mom. Me and Danielle just want to tell you that we love you and miss you and tell the family that we'll be home soon.
C. AND D. MURRAY: Happy Fourth of July.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. A day wrapped in red, white and blue. In the nation's capital, a huge celebration, like usual, marking the nation's 234th birthday. CNN's Sandra Endo is joining us live from the National Mall. How in the world are you looking so cool in that near triple-digit temperature?
SANDRA ENDO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's pretty brutal, Fred, but I have to tell you, I mean, being out here with all these people, ready for the big party, it's been fun. And they have the best spots. They've camped out for hours, trying to stake out a spot to watch the fireworks later on.
Look, these girls have the right idea, a refreshing snack of watermelon, and a lot of people out here are picnicking, eating hot dogs, bringing their own drinks because, again, like you said, it's so hot out here, it's important to just stay hydrated and drink a lot of water.
But we're just steps away from the National Mall, National Monument, and I'm here with Bill Line who is in charge of telling us what the whole run down is for tonight. What are we going to see?
BILL LINE, NATIONAL PARK SERVICE: Oh, much activity for a large crowd tonight. Here on the Washington Monument grounds, we have the Navy Band and jazz artist Jane Monheit. On the West Lawn of the Capitol, Jimmy Smith, Reba McEntire, Gladys Knight - who else? Ken Archuleta, all of that.
So there's much entertainment, and then what's really going to cap it all off at 10 minutes after 9:00 Eastern tonight is the fireworks, and I'm told by the director of the fireworks company that this will be the biggest, largest, most stupendous as the words that he's used, finale that we've ever had. So -
ENDO: So what are we expecting to see? How long is it going to last and what kinds of fireworks are we going to see?
LINE: The fireworks display literally will go for 17 minutes and seven seconds directly, and starting right at 9:10 Eastern, you're going to see what he calls green octopuses and yellow streamers and all these others sort of names for the different fireworks that would go off. But the bottom line is it's supposed to be spectacular. We should let the public know that it's $226,000 to put on the fireworks display. We actually think that that's a decent bargain and a very good use of the taxpayer dollar.
In addition, there's large numbers of people here who have been here most of the day and you're right. They need to keep hydrated and keep the fluids high.
ENDO: All right. Thanks so much, Bill Line from the National Park Service. And you can see everybody is gearing up, waiting for that big show that's going to kick off right over there at the National Monument here in Washington, D.C.
Fred, back to you.
WHITFIELD: Oh, fantastic. A beautiful backdrop. So now, are they going to be setting up the fireworks right there behind the monument at the Potomac River like they have in years past?
ENDO: Oh, yes. Check - check it out. You can see the Washington Monument here and just around this area is where they're going to kickoff all these firework action and just behind the monument, there's actually a concert that's being held with the Navy and Army bands and they were just playing some songs earlier and got the camera guy grooving and moving.
So that's basically what we're seeing here. A lot of people having fun already.
WHITFIELD: Oh, someone needed to have a camera on him as he was grooving and moving.
Sandra Endo, thanks so much.
ENDO: That's right.
WHITFIELD: Have fun out there.
ENDO: Sure.
WHITFIELD: It's always a great time there in the -
ENDO: Thank you, you guys (ph).
WHITFIELD: -- nation's capital.
All right. Well, it started as the annual hotdog eating contest but it ended in arrest. You know what I'm talking about? Coney Island has a tradition there too to eat hotdogs and to try to eat the most and then win the jackpot. But, Josh Levs, something went very wrong.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, yes. And you I were both - we both have a little difficulty watching this contest in some ways (ph).
WHITFIELD: I know. Just seeing someone gorge is not a pretty sight. It's all I can say.
LEVS: We have the same queasiness, yes. But here's the (INAUDIBLE) part that happened at the end. Here's what happened. Takeru Kobayashi is the one who was arrested. Now we have some video of him here. I'll show you what happened.
Basically, he used to win this contest - every year from 2001 to 2006 he always won this contest. He's a major league eating star. He lost in 2007 to American Joey Chestnut. He hasn't won since. And this year, Kobayashi was not allowed to compete, because, you know, he's in this contract dispute with major league eating.
So at the end of this whole thing, when his nemesis American Joey Chestnut won, he ran up on stage, authorities say, and one of those handlers (INAUDIBLE) and police took him away. He was not allowed to be there. And now, a New York police officer tell CNN Kobayashi will be charged with resisting arrest, interfering -
WHITFIELD: Oh, no.
LEVS: -- with police and disorderly conduct as a result of that, Fred.
WHITFIELD: So what's the feeling? Is it because he felt like, you know what, whoever won, the guy who won, he feel - Joey Chestnut, he feels as though he could have eaten more than him and he wanted to get on stage to -
LEVS: Yes.
WHITFIELD: -- kind of prove that even after the fact?
LEVS: Yes.
WHITFIELD: Oh, yes?
LEVS: Even though he couldn't be in the contest, he wanted to prove that he could have eaten more than Joey Chestnut.
WHITFIELD: All right. Well, to be a good sportsman, to be a true champion, you also have to be what - a good loser too and he wasn't even in it. So, you know, chill.
LEVS: I guess so. But I got the highlights for you from what did happen.
WHITFIELD: OK. Yes. Oh, yes. Then there was the real competition. What happened?
LEVS: The action (ph). Yes, we don't want to get - the guy who came along and give it a sour turn at the end -
WHITFIELD: No. No.
LEVS: -- to get all the attention, right? Hey, did you hear that sour?
WHITFIELD: No.
LEVS: No one? OK.
WHITFIELD: Very funny.
LEVS: OK. Let's start off with this. I love the intros for all the people. Listen to how they introduced the contestants.
WHITFIELD: OK.
LEVS: Here's one of them.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The bologna and matzo ball eating champion of the world.
A chicken wing eating specialist from down -
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: And you know what, I'm told by our brilliant writer, Doug Fernata (ph), he's realized (ph) these are all real. All of these people have these actual championships in the past, whether it is -
WHITFIELD: Oh, my God. She was a tiny thing. She was - she was an eater?
LEVS: Garlicky (INAUDIBLE). Oh, yes. Well, there's two women in this.
WHITFIELD: These are all rather slight people.
LEVS: They are. None of them are that big.
WHITFIELD: Aren't they? Oh. Now, his get-up is something else.
LEVS: And that's why some people say that this really is a sport because they've mastered the physical art of (INAUDIBLE) being in good shape a lot of them and then all of a sudden expanding your stomach a lot and than doing whatever you've got to do when the contest is over. That's the - you're doing your thing (INAUDIBLE).
By the way, let's - let's get to the video of it taking off and I'll tell you a couple of facts about this.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
LEVS: We - we got the video of it beginning here. The big countdown. They're all going -
Listen to this. Michael Phelps, we all know how much he east in a day -
WHITFIELD: Yes.
LEVS: -- when he's training, right? OK. Well, he eats that insane amount of calories. He would pack away about 12,000 calories in a day.
WHITFIELD: Yes. But he's usually chewing.
LEVS: Right.
WHITFIELD: But OK.
LEVS: He's taking his time all day long.
If - if Joey Chestnut had managed to do what he did last year with 68 hotdogs, according to ESPN that would have been 20,000 calories. Apparently last year, Joey Chestnut managed to get 20,000 calories. WHITFIELD: I'm sorry. Watching this - it's hard.
LEVS: I know. It's amazing. Were you asking about the women? We've got some video here of a Sonia Thomas (ph). She's one of two women. And you're right, they're relatively small, about 100 pounds.
WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness. Oh, no, no, no, honey. This is not flattering. No.
LEVS: I don't think that's what she's going for, but I'm not sure.
WHITFIELD: I know. But, you know, after that kind of humiliation, you want to win.
LEVS: Let's give some props to the winner. Here's Joey.
WHITFIELD: Oh, no.
LEVS: Here's Joey Chestnut scarfing it down. He has this system, Fred. He takes two hotdogs - I can't believe I had to learn - I can't believe I have to watch this.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
LEVS: So he took - he took two hotdogs, he takes two and he scarves them down. And then he takes the bun, dips it in water -
WHITFIELD: OK. Gross.
LEVS: -- gets that in. Apparently, it prevents choking, goes in faster and then it's basically like rinse and repeat.
WHITFIELD: Eww. Eww.
LEVS: Like he does the exact same thing again. After that, he did not quite manage to beat his - last year he's got to 68 dogs in 10 minutes. This year 54, but it was still enough to win. He clinched his fourth consecutive hotdog eating contest.
WHITFIELD: My goodness. Congrats. Oh. Do you notice the jiggling of the body in order to get, you know, get that down the throat. Yes.
LEVS: You know what, they all have terms for their - what they've done. And apparently Kobayashi was the real -
WHITFIELD: Well, it looks like it hurts actually, doesn't it?
LEVS: Yes. It does.
WHITFIELD: He was pained.
LEVS: Well, you know, I mean, that's what athletes do. I can't even -
WHITFIELD: Athletes? Is that what we're calling these guys?
LEVS: I'm trying. I'm trying to pretend it is (ph).
WHITFIELD: Athletes? OK.
LEVS: So -
WHITFIELD: OK. Let me refrain from comment.
LEVS: I'm with you. I would never do this or want any of my - my kids to ever do this in their future (INAUDIBLE).
WHITFIELD: OK. Let's stop the video.
LEVS: Here's Joey talking about how he won. Let's go do that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Glory again. Three, two, one. (INAUDIBLE).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: We got a sound byte here from Joey Chestnut. Let's go to that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOEY CHESTNUT, CONTEST WINNER: You know, I came out here and knew what I had to do. And I know it's one of the jobs (ph), just having fun eating hotdogs.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What was the factor with the heat? It's been so hot today. Did that affect you?
CHESTNUT: Absolutely. Actually, I stopped drinking water today so I - I was a little bit dehydrated going into the contest so that's where I wanted to, wanted to be in a - you know, it's all right. I beat the competition. If anybody else is here I would have beat them too.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEVS: So there you go folks, your hotdog eating digest there.
WHITFIELD: Wow. And you know what, I'm a girl who likes to eat, too, but I like to take my time.
LEVS: I - I wouldn't even -
WHITFIELD: And that looks like that hurts eating that fast and that much.
LEVS: You know, I guess there's some kind of rush they get out of it.
WHITFIELD: Gosh. LEVS: And people come from all over. People have driven - some of the people in the crowd were saying they drove in really far -
WHITFIELD: Wow.
LEVS: -- because they had to see this. It was just so exciting.
WHITFIELD: Yes. They have a big crowd.
LEVS: It's a spectacle even though I found it difficult to stomach along the way.
WHITFIELD: To digest.
LEVS: To digest.
WHITFIELD: Got it.
LEVS: I'm on the fun (ph).
WHITFIELD: All right, Josh. Thank you so much.
LEVS: See you, Fred.
WHITFIELD: Well, it is a tradition that Nathan's hotdog eating contest and so is this. It's actually an icon. Red, white, and blue. She's the contemporary of Superman and Batman. Do you recognize her? Does she look different than usual? Wonder Woman getting a makeover. That's ahead in "The Chat Room".
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SGT. MICHAEL FOGLIO, U.S. ARMY: Hi. This is Sergeant Foglio with 31st Cash (ph) in Heart, Afghanistan. I just want to wish all our friends and families in San Antonio, Texas a happy Fourth of July. We miss you. We love you. I can't wait to see you guys soon. I just want to say thank you for the all care packages. You guys are doing great.
AIC CODY JACKSON, U.S. AIR FORCE: This is A1C Jackson from Raleigh, Mississippi stationed out here in Joint Base Balad. I wanted to wish everybody back home a happy Fourth of July.
SGT. CLANDERA HENSLEY, U.S. ARMY: Hi. I'm Sergeant Clandera Hensley from Camp Liberty, Iraq with the First Armor Division. I just want to say happy Fourth of July to my son, Joseph. I love you and see you when I get home.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. From the NEWSROOM, to now "The Chat Room". Karen Maginnis in "The Chat Room" with me now to talk about all those weird things out there that we can't just resist to talk about a little bit. MAGINNIS: Yes.
WHITFIELD: You know, here in the U.S. you can name your babies just about anything you want to. But there are restrictions in certain companies. I mean, code, law -
MAGINNIS: Right.
WHITFIELD: -- where you have to abide by. You can't just name your kid anything.
MAGINNIS: You wouldn't want to shackle your child with a bizarre name, but people do. People try it.
WHITFIELD: Here are some examples.
MAGINNIS: OK.
WHITFIELD: In Sweden, you can't even pronounce this one if you just look at the - well, see the one on the bottom, but that actually - there is a pronouncer on that according to the family. Al Fin (ph).
MAGINNIS: Al Fin (ph)?
WHITFIELD: And, of course, the Swede said, no, you cannot name your child Metallica, Superman, Ikea, Elvis or Al Fin (ph). The family tried again with, OK, we're just going to condense it down to an A but still pronounce Al Fin (ph), and no. The Swede said no.
MAGINNIS: And I think Elvis.
WHITFIELD: And the same happens in other countries.
MAGINNIS: Elvis. That's a really cool name, actually.
WHITFIELD: Well, you got - you've got a lot of people who are naming their kids Elvis here, right? You know, Elvis Stojko, well, he's a Canadian, but, you know, Elvis Costello.
MAGINNIS: Exactly.
WHITFIELD: The list goes on.
MAGINNIS: Yes. Yes.
WHITFIELD: There are other countries too. I think Germany is another where they have restrictions on names.
MAGINNIS: Yes. I think New Zealand, you cannot - OK, this is Germany. You have to be able to tell the gender by the first name.
WHITFIELD: OK.
MAGINNIS: And, can't have a negative effect on the child's wellbeing.
WHITFIELD: Well, that's good thinking about the child later on.
MAGINNIS: Yes. Yes, see, that was the thing I was saying that you wouldn't want your child to walk around with a name where they could be made fun of or laughed at.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
MAGINNIS: But some parents just don't have any problem doing that.
WHITFIELD: I know. We were actually talking about that earlier today. (INAUDIBLE). But they were names that really we don't want to repeat on television. But they are names out there and they were here in the U.S. and there were no restrictions. Go figure.
All right. Let's move on to - what it is? The David after dentist. Now, this apparently has gone viral. It's gone crazy. Videotape that a dad picked up his son from the dentist and the child had Novocain or a laughing gas or something in order to get a procedure. And apparently once he go into the car, he kind of was babbling on and on. Dad pulled out a flip cam, recorded it. And this video has gone viral. People are nuts about it. Take a look at David after dentist.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How did it go?
DAVID: I didn't feel anything.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
DAVID: Oh.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Kind of felt good, didn't it?
DAVID: Is this real life?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, this is real life.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Poor baby. Oh, no. That doesn't seem right. But, you know, dad had the intuition. I guess he said, you know what, I've got to record this and keep it one day. You're not going to believe the stuff that you were saying. But when he posted it, he had no idea - the family, they divorced, right? They had no idea that it would go viral. That they would actually make money -- $150,000 off that tape.
MAGINNIS: And they've donated some of the money to charity. Operation Smile I think was one of the groups that made donations to. There's at one point in the video where he grabs his car seat, lifts up and screams, you think, oh, dear. Oh, dear. And the dad is like it's OK. It's OK. But it is a little disturbing in some aspects too.
WHITFIELD: Oh, kind it is. MAGINNIS: Yes.
WHITFIELD: Oh, poor little pumpkin there. (INAUDIBLE).
OK. You know, we'll move on now. Were you a Wonder Woman fan?
MAGINNIS: Not so much.
WHITFIELD: Almighty Isis? No? None of that?
MAGINNIS: You know what? You know, there have been movies of the other super heroes. You know, Spiderman, Batman.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
MAGINNIS: But Wonder Woman I think has been little delayed -
WHITFIELD: Oh, wow.
MAGINNIS: in getting in the big screen.
WHITFIELD: Well, she's 69 years old now.
MAGINNIS: Looks great.
WHITFIELD: Yes, she looks good. And of course, oh my gosh, Lynda Carter. Who looks better than her in Wonder Woman's get up there? And doing the job. Apparently there is going to be a makeover and she will be wearing a biker jacket. They've modified it a little bit. That apparently is a photograph of the old comic strip. Wonder Woman.
MAGINNIS: Wearing a bustier.
WHITFIELD: Yes. But there's going to be a bit of a -- there you go. So she's going to be wearing leggings.
MAGINNIS: A little edgier. The hair is edgier.
WHITFIELD: A little more mod. Who knows if there's going to be another television show or even movie, Wonder Woman. You see it happening?
MAGINNIS: I think that it is scheduled to be released in 2013. It has been a long time coming.
WHITFIELD: Do we know who the star is?
MAGINNIS: No. I don't know.
WHITFIELD: I don't know who that star is going to be.
MAGINNIS: But could it compare to Lynda Carter? I don't think so.
WHITFIELD: Oh mighty Isis. Let's channel her now. Anyway, everyone loves wonder woman. I loved it as a kid. I just remember --
MAGINNIS: I think you did.
WHITFIELD: Yes. On the playground you were trying to pretend to be like her. The bracelets and all that. I'll show you more later. I don't want to embarrass you.
All right, Karen. Thanks so much for being in the Chat Room with us.
Back to THE NEWSROOM in a moment. Some Gulf Coast beaches are looking like ghost towns. You know why. Fourth of July tourists are the latest to be scared away by that BP oil spill.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: If this were a normal year in the Gulf, beaches would be crowded with tourists celebrating the Fourth of July, but most normal things ended in the Gulf when BP's rig exploded and started gushing oil into the water. That we know.
CNN's John Zarrella, however, is in Gulf Shores, Alabama, where you've got a couple of stragglers behind you, but they're not getting in the water, right?
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it is pretty pitiful, isn't it, Fredricka? You can see behind me. On a normal Fourth of July holiday, this beach would absolutely be packed. I'd be standing in the midst of a throng of people, wouldn't be able to move around.
That's what the lifeguards tell us. They say, certainly not the case right now. You ask about folks in the water? Well, they're not supposed to be in the water here, but there have been people all day on and off in there. Lifeguards are telling us they're allow them to actually go ahead and dip their feet in the water and come out. But people doing more than dipping their feet in the water.
And you know what? We've got a group of youngsters here that are a little bit disappointed. Well, they're smiling, though. You're all on a mission from your church in Louisville, right?
UNIDENTIFIED STUDENT: Yes. Woodland Baptist.
ZARRELLA: And now, you're excited to come down here, but I bet you're disappointed, right?
UNIDENTIFIED STUDENTS: Yes.
ZARRELLA: You can't get in the water?
UNIDENTIFIED STUDENTS: No.
ZARRELLA: You're not going to go like those other people and sort of dip in? You going to cheat a little?
UNIDENTIFIED STUDENTS: Well, maybe. ZARRELLA: Maybe?
UNIDENTIFIED STUDENTS: Probably.
ZARRELLA: You're probably going to do it?
UNIDENTIFIED STUDENT: Yes.
ZARRELLA: Were you excited, though, when you thought you were coming here and you could swim in the water?
UNIDENTIFIED STUDENTS. Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED STUDENT: I never thought were going to be able to get in.
ZARRELLA: You never thought you were going to be able to swim?
UNIDENTIFIED STUDENT: No. They told us we probably wouldn't.
ZARRELLA: They told you you wouldn't be able to. But at least you were going to be able to get out there, and it's a beautiful day, and hang out on the beach a little bit. What about tonight? You're going to be around for fireworks?
UNIDENTIFIED STUDENTS: Yes. Definitely.
ZARRELLA: That are brings a smile to your face. You guys are all excited, though, just the same, to be here for the Fourth of July.
UNIDENTIFIED STUDENTS: Yes.
ZARRELLA: And what do we say on the Fourth of July to America?
UNIDENTIFIED STUDENTS: God bless America.
ZARRELLA: Happy --
UNIDENTIFIED STUDENTS: Birthday.
ZARRELLA: All right. You guys are great. We got it right. So, Fredricka, you can see, even though they're not going to be able to get in the water, say they won't go in the water --
WHITFIELD: Yes?
ZARRELLA: They're having a good time. They're having a good time out here just the same. But it is a sad state of affairs when you see how few people are here. The restaurant we stopped in at lunchtime this afternoon, lots of empty tables. And you know that wouldn't have been the case a year ago.
WHITFIELD. Yes, that is very true. But at least for those girls, there -- mostly girls, right? They have each other, and they're having a good time.
ZARRELLA: Yes, they do.
WHITFIELD: All the best to the business owners along the Gulf Shores coast there in Alabama. Thanks so much. John Zarrella.
We're going to talk politics coming up. Michael Steele under fire again for controversial comments, coming up. We'll take a look at the fallout and the possibility that the RNC chairman could be on his way out.
But first, a look at this week in history.
One year ago in 2009, North Korea sentenced American journalist Laura Ling and Euna Lee to 12 years hard labor for espionage. They were later pardoned.
Five years ago, in 2005, terrorists attacked the London transit systems, bombing three underground stations and a double-decker bus.
Sixty years ago, in 1950, US General Douglas McCarthy became Commander in Chief of United Nation forces in Korea.
One hundred and twenty years ago in 1890, Wyoming became the 44th state.
One hundred and sixty years ago in 1850, president Zachary Taylor died after just 16 months in office, and Millard Fillmore became the 13th president.
Four hundred and seventy years ago in 1540, England's King Henry the 8th got an annulment from Anne of Cleves. He claimed she was so unattractive, he was unable to consummate the marriage.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Michael Steele stepped in this again. This time the head of the Republican National Committee is getting heat from his own party over comments on the war in Afghanistan. He called it "President Obama's war" and suggested it was unwinnable.
CNN Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser joins me now from Washington. So, Paul. Is Steele really in hot water?
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He's in some hot water. And Fred, he's been chairman of the party for a year and a half. And it seems either he finds trouble, or trouble finds him. And this is definitely another case of that.
Since those comments went viral on YouTube early Friday, the chairman has been definitely making the rounds and calling fellow Republicans to make sure that his status is still safe.
A couple things have happened. You have William Kristol, the Weekly Standard editor. You've had Liz Cheney, the daughter of the former vice president. And you have the former South Carolina GOP chairman all calling for him to step down. This morning on the Sunday talk shows, John McCain was out there talking about it, and the Arizona senator said that the comments were widely inaccurate.
So, a lot of criticism here. Listen, Fred. Steele's up for reelection. His term ends at the beginning of next year, and he hasn't indicated yet whether he wants to run for reelection as chairman of the RNC or not. Already the North Dakota GOP chair has indicated he may challenge Steele. And, Fred, all this comes as the party is actually doing quite well, and they expect to win big. They hope to win big in November. They really don't need these distractions, Fred.
WHITFIELD. Yes, you wonder if this might in any way make some sort of impact, though.
STEINHAUSER: Yes, and that's the worry by Republicans. That this is going to impact or divert from what they hope will be a very good November for them.
WHITFIELD: In the meantime, let's talk about the leader of the Democratic party, the president of the United States. What's on his schedule?
STEINHAUSER: A busy week. It's a holiday week. The Congress is out, but there is no vacation at all for the president, no doubt. On Tuesday he is hosting the Israeli prime minister at the White House. You know for sure Mideast peace will be coming up.
And then Thursday he heads west. He's going to Missouri, and then Nevada. He is going to hold events on the economy, but he's also going to be campaigner in chief. He's going to help out Robin Carnahan, she's the Democratic Senate candidate in Missouri. And he's also going to help out Harry Reid, the Senate Majority Leader out in Nevada is up and facing a very tough reelection this year, Fred.
WHITFIELD: Thanks so much. Paul Steinhauser. Happy Fourth this weekend. Are you going to be checking out the fireworks behind you?
STEINHAUSER: I'm taking this tie off, out the door to a party to watch the fireworks.
WHITFIELD: All right, that's the way to do it. Thanks so much. Have a blast.
Ranking presidents every eight years. More than 200 scholars do it. This year, they once again ranked Franklin D. Roosevelt the best president, a position he held since the survey started back in 1982.
And for the first time in 20 years, another Roosevelt, Teddy, assumed the number two slot, pushing Abraham Lincoln to number three. George Washington was ranked fourth, and skipping down the list a bit now.
John Kennedy came in 11th. President Obama, number 15, followed closely by Ronald Reagan in the 18th slot. And George W. Bush fell from his previous ranking of 23 to 39. And in case you were curious, Andrew Johnson came in last. Michael Douglas's ex-wife wants royalties from a movie that hasn't even come out yet. Wall Street 2. Our legal guys explain how she was able to do that. In the words of one of our legal experts, "a brilliant attorney."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: A look at the top stories. General David Petraeus says the war in Afghanistan has reached a critical moment and NATO forces must pursue insurgents relentlessly. He made the comments on his first official day as the new commander of military forces there. Petraeus also had kind words for his predecessor, General Stanley McChrystal, crediting his leadership and vision for recent progress in Afghanistan.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he wants direct peace talks with Palestinians. He says that's what he wants to work toward when he meets with President Obama in Washington on Tuesday. Right now, US officials are acting as a go-between in Israeli and Palestine negotiations.
A World Cup trophy discovered at the airport in Bogota, Columbia looking more like a craft project than the real thing. Police sent it in for testing. Turns out, the trophy was made out of 24 pounds of cocaine. It was found packed away with several soccer jerseys in a shipment headed to Spain.
Celebrities with legal troubles. It's just one of the topics that we tackle with our legal guys this weekend.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: At The Hague, now, we are talking about Naomi Campbell. Now she is being subpoenaed to testify in the former Liberian president's trial, Taylor's trial, at The Hague. Why? Because, apparently, she accepted a rough diamond from him during a star-studded event in South Africa. But this subpoena comes with a heavy hand, right? If she does not show up to testify, it would be in England, by the way, right? She would be facing jail time, Avery?
AVERY FRIEDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Not just jail time. I think she is going to cooperate and the UK is actually a participant with the international court in The Hague. But more importantly, let me explain why this is important.
Charles Taylor is one of the real monsters of the 20th century and 21st century. 500,000 people dead, mutilation, torture. He testified in court that he had nothing to do with uncut, or so-called blood diamonds. Never had anything to do with it. The blood diamond that he gave to that Naomi is important. She's going to say, "Oh, what a nice dictator man that he gave me these diamonds." Well, that testimony is going to show that he is being untruthful under oath. Very, very important.
WHITFIELD: So, she may not have known at the time he was president, and she didn't necessarily know that he may have had a hand in the blood diamond industry. So she's not in trouble, necessarily, Richard, for accepting the diamond.
FRIEDMAN: No, she's not in trouble at all.
WHITFIELD: The problem is --
RICHARD HERMAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: No, no, no.
WHITFIELD: This will now prove that Charles Taylor did have something to do with the transfer of something like a blood diamond.
FRIEDMAN: Exactly right.
HERMAN: Precisely, Fred. Charles Taylor said, "I was not in possession of any blood diamonds." The prosecution rested their case a year ago February. However, they've moved to reopen it based on Mia Farrow's testimony that there were discussions of blood diamonds. And Naomi, who is an allegation that he gave her one. They want her to come on the stand and say yes, he did. That will disprove his position that he never had them. But they'd better check the cell phones at the door if she comes to testify.
I was wondering --
HERMAN: Got to check those cell phones.
WHITFIELD: How or who was going to bring up the cell phone on this one.
Let's talk about maybe trade secrets that are involved in the next case.
HERMAN: OK.
WHITFIELD: A divorce case.
HERMAN: Love this.
WHITFIELD: Yes. We're talking Michael Douglas, Wall Street 2 is coming out, but his ex-wife Diandra says, "Wait a minute. I need to get --" I guess she needs to get some residuals from Wall street 2 just like she did from 1, when they were married, and she got a nice handsome divorce settlement. But she wants more. Is this greed is good in the making, Richard?
HERMAN: This is great. I tip my hat to her lawyer for putting this provision in their divorce decree. This is spectacular.
FRIEDMAN: Sure.
HERMAN: She is entitled to collect a certain amount of money based on his exploitation or spin-off of any movies he made during the course of their marriage. A fair reading to that is, Wall Street 2 is part of Wall Street 1.
WHITFIELD: Well, that's simple.
HERMAN: Which was done when they were married.
WHITFIELD: Case closed then.
HERMAN: I think case closed.
FRIEDMAN: I agree.
HERMAN: I think she's going to collect big time.
FRIEDMAN: I think that's right. The difference between spin off, which is provided for in that decree, and sequel. Catherine Zeta Jones is a sequel. The difference is it doesn't derive from the original. That's a spin off. And actually, Diandra does have a shot at this. A comprehensive divorce decree providing for that, she's likely to collect.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Oh, that Avery and Richard. They're so funny and so smart. Always with us every Saturday noon eastern time. You don't want to miss them.
Inspiring by example, Bob Dole is reaching out to wounded vets, showing them that there is a future after the injuries.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Former senator Bob Dole is on the mend at Walter Reed Medical Center, but he's not just taking it easy. He's working hard as an inspiration for wounded troops back from the battlefield. Here's CNN's Ed Henry.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED HENRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: When Air Force sergeant Christopher Curtis arrived at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, he was in desperate shape after his cv-22 Osprey crashed in Afghanistan.
CHRISTOPHER CURTIS, US AIR FORCE: From a coma state to getting into the rehab was a long road, but one that definitely kept my spirits up.
HENRY: That determination was sparked in part by another patient at Walter Reed who almost didn't make it off the battlefield himself during World War II.
CURTIS: From where he was back then to being possible president of the United States at one point, that gives me a huge inspiration.
HENRY: You voted for him?
CURTIS: I did.
HENRY: 86-year-old Bob Dole is at Walter Reed for physical therapy connected to double knee replacement surgery. But a bout with pneumonia lengthened the stay for the former Senate Majority Leader. He passes the time listening to Sinatra, watching cable news, and just like the old days, wisecracking with new friends like Curtis.
BOB DOLE, FORMER US SENATOR: First thing out of his mouth was "I voted for you in '96." You're a smart fellow.
HENRY: But you also told me there's not a lot of those around?
DOLE: I had to look for one.
HENRY: The pictures of Curtis now and Dole back then are striking.
Does that remind you of what happened to you 65 years ago?
DOLE: A little bit, yes. Because I couldn't move. I was in a body cast. It's all behind me, but, it does give you pause. Think about, Jiminy, was I ever as bad a shape as Chris?
HENRY: Army sergeant Lee Langley, 26, was hit by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan, and marvels at Dole's determination.
LEE LANGLEY, US ARMY: He got hurt a long time ago and now, he's fighting another battle. And he's at an older age and a lot of people would have gave up, but he didn't.
HENRY: Army specialist Levi Crawford, 23, was badly wounded in Afghanistan and has now bounded with Dole, whose own right arm was paralyzed so long ago.
LEVI CRAWFORD, US ARMY: Same thing with mine. I'm trying to keep moving them.
DOLE: You're doing the right thing.
CRAWFORD: It's hard, though.
HENRY: Dole co-chaired a 2007 presidential commission that investigated shoddy conditions at Walter Reed. But he has no but praise for the medical care.
DOLE: It took me nine hours to get off the battlefield. Took me weeks to get home.
Okay, here you go.
These modern medical miracles, you see them every day here. And if they're wounded on one day, they can be in Walter Reed on the third day.
HENRY: He's eager to get back to work at the law and lobbying firm, Austin Berg. His failed bids for the White House a distant memory.
DOLE: You've got to move on. Life's short. Keep pushing. And realize we live in a great country. One chapter ends and another chapter starts. Keep on going.
HENRY: Good advice, now being passed on to a whole new generation of heroes.
DOLE: This is what America's all about right here.
HENRY: Ed Henry, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: All of them extraordinary service members.
I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Enjoy the fireworks this 4th. I'll see you back here next week. Don Lemon is up next with more of the day's headlines out of New York, including a look at the budget mess in California. And a talk with two state workers who could find their salaries slashed to minimum wage.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
