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Spy Swap Complete; LeBron James Picks the Heat; Tar Mats the Size of School Buses; Rangers Fan "Very Lucky" To Be Alive; President Obama: Fundraiser in Chief; Jail Time for No-Show Parents?

Aired July 09, 2010 - 09:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hi. Thanks so much. Good morning everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield in for Kyra Phillips this morning.

Here is what we are working on. A trade on the tarmac, our spies for their spies; it looks like the flashback to the Cold War is now over.

And a reporter suiting up getting ready to dive right into the oil disaster. There she is. Just a few miles from the gushing well in the Gulf of Mexico. We'll get a unique look at the Gulf.

And Miami swoons while Cleveland fumes. The LeBron James cliffhanger is over and the shockwave has begun.

All right, topping our hour, the spy swap appears to be done. Ten Russian agents should be back in Moscow about now. They were traded for four Russians who had been in prison for spying for the U.S.

The whole exchange happened on an airport tarmac in Vienna, Austria. One plane headed east, the other headed west.

CNN's senior international correspondent Matthew Chance is in Moscow with the latest -- Matthew.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. The biggest spy swap since the end of the Cold War has now taken place on the tarmac of the airports in the Austrian capital of Vienna.

The plane carrying the 10 confessed spies from the United States -- confessed to working as agents for Russian, Russia --landed at that airport a short time ago. A couple of hours ago now.

It was followed very quickly afterwards by an official aircraft from Russia which was carrying four people which had been pardoned by the Russian president, who've been serving a lengthy prison sentences in Russian jails for spying for western powers including the United States.

The exchange took place on the tarmac which meant none of the -- the people actually entered the country of Austria. And the one plane carrying the four from Russia has taken off and landed, we understand, now from -- in the United Kingdom.

And the other aircraft carrying those 10 Russians that were arraigned in New York is still on its way back to the Russian capital.

WHITFIELD: And, Matthew, this is all part of the plea deal. Those 10 Russians pled guilty and, of course, they were deported. Is there any better understanding of what secrets, if any, they actually got while in the U.S. operating as spies?

CHANCE: Well, I think the fact that they were released so quickly and that both countries wanted to move beyond this situation as soon as possible is a reflection of the fact that these 10 agents operating in the United States didn't really penetrate too deeply in the corridors of power in the United States.

They were mainly on the fringes of fact of Russia's intelligence gathering effort. They didn't really, you know, compromise the United States' national security. And for that reason they weren't really charged with spying, just being engaged in espionage activities, being agents in a foreign country. In this case, Russia.

I think that's why the United States felt comfortable with releasing them so soon and so quickly.

WHITFIELD: Matthew Chance in Moscow. Thanks so much.

Now to this country and it is just after 6:00 a.m., Oakland time, California, and people are just now about to get a better look at how much damage was done overnight as a result of this case and the outcome.

Trouble began after a jury found a former transit police officer guilty of voluntary manslaughter. Johannes Mehserle who was white, shot and killed Oscar Grant, an unarmed black man last year on an Oakland train platform.

Mehserle, right here, argued that he meant to draw and fire his taser gun, not his weapon. After the verdict, protesters said Mehserle deserved a murder conviction. There were many protests afterwards, most of them peaceful. But there were some ugly scenes after dark.

Some people smashing windows, looting businesses, setting trash on fire and scuffling with police. As you see in those images there, that's actually some of the images overnight. Officials think that agitators were more interested in anarchy than justice.

A flood of emotion like never seen before because of an NBA free agent. A primetime televised decision. Cleveland's LeBron James announced that he is packing his bags and heading south to Miami Heat.

He wasted no time this morning touching down. Just take a look at these images right there to the embraces, touching down in his new hometown of Miami.

The NBA superstar's arrival came just hours after his ESPN announcement.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: The answer to the question everybody wants to know. LeBron, what's your decision?

LEBRON JAMES, NBA PLAYER: In this fall -- this is very tough. In this fall I'm going to take my talents to south beach and join the Miami Heat.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: OK. That announcement set off a major fan frenzy, of course, all over Miami. You can see there people are super excited.

In Cleveland, however, the complete opposite. Angry Cavalier fans burning the king's jersey right there. The Cavs' owner actually called LeBron's exit a cowardly betrayal and a shocking act of disloyalty.

Harsh language there. Let's go to Brian Duffy from our affiliate WOIO for more reaction from Cleveland. People were very hot to say the very least about his departure.

BRIAN DUFFY, WOIO-TV CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely furious would be the better way, Fredricka, to put it. I mean, people here are angry and they're upset. And I'll tell you why for the most part the anger is here.

Number one, they feel like it's another punch in the gut. But the way LeBron did it, people are furious about that. Going on national TV when most people felt the logical thing to do was finish what you started, stay in Cleveland, and win a championship here like you had promised to do.

But then to go on national TV and throw that sucker punch -- people felt it was a sucker punch, a stab in the back, that's why so many people here are so angry.

WHITFIELD: OK. All right. Well, let me get an idea if -- actually, control room, you can get out of my ear for a second so I can hear you, Brian. So here is what the owner of the Cavs actually said.

I gave you an idea at the very top that he says that this was an act of betrayal. He felt that this was a cowardly act. Can we take a look at that statement right now? All right, it looks like we're having a little problem. OK, well, there it is. I can barely see it myself.

Actually, it says, "This was announced with a several-day narcissistic, self-promotional buildup culminating with the national TV special. The good news is that the ownership team and the rest of the hard-working, loyal, and driven staff over here at your hometown Cavaliers have not been betrayed." These are really harsh words here, but you know what, if you, I guess, look at this big picture from the eyes of LeBron James, he says you know what -- he knows in order to make history, he said this last night.

In order to make history, it means winning a championship. And he felt that he made a decision that would best secure that and this is why he was going to Miami.

But why is it that his fans there in Cleveland say that's not an excuse enough for us?

DUFFY: Well, here's why. It comes back to what Dan Gilbert, the Cavaliers' owner, did for LeBron. Everything possible. I mean, they catered to this guy like no other pampered professional athlete has been catered to.

They did everything for him. They gave him what he wanted. They brought in the players that he wanted. This is a franchise that won over 120 games. It's not like this is a terrible team. I mean they were right there.

And the problem is what some p people here think is LeBron didn't get this done. LeBron had the opportunity. He had the team. They have the best record in the NBA. They didn't win.

So why jump-ship now when you do have what you need right here in Cleveland? A lot of people feel. But now he's --

WHITFIELD: So, what, he's 25 years old, he feels like he's kind of running out of time? He wants to take advantage of these best years?

DUFFY: Well, hey. That's on LeBron. I mean, win the championship. You got a team with the best record in the NBA. You're the favorites. You have home-court advantage. It's up to you to lead your team like a Michael Jordan. Like a Magic Johnson did before them.

They led their teams to championships. Now the criticism of LeBron is going to come in. What's his legacy going to be if he wins the championship on Dwyane Wade's team in Miami? Which is how a lot of people here are feeling.

Right or wrong, that's how people here in Cleveland are feeling this morning. You had what you needed to win. You didn't get it done. You didn't play well up against Boston in this series.

WHITFIELD: Oh my gosh.

DUFFY: And hey, that's how people here feel. There is anger, frustration, people are angry. This guy has taken himself to the level of an Art Modell who moved the Cleveland Browns from Cleveland. That's how people feel.

WHITFIELD: And when you said, you know, double whammy, you're really -- you know, your first reference we're talking about really, this, you know, kind of failing economy and in that area and people were, you know, really counting on LeBron or they have been counting on this Cleveland, you know, team for a long time to make them feel good about all that's been going wrong.

Brian Duffy, thanks so much, from WOIO --

DUFFY: Sure.

WHITFIELD: From Cleveland. I appreciate your time.

DUFFY: OK. Thank you.

WHITFIELD: OK.

All right, let's talk about this oil spill. It is day 81 of the disaster. Let's check out the latest developments. The U.S. Navy blimp could begin flying over the oil slick today. The air ship will survey the oil, direct skimming ships, and look for wildlife that may be threatened by the oil.

Meanwhile, in New Orleans federal appeals court has rejected the government's effort to restore a moratorium on deepwater drilling.

And the Obama administration has sent a letter to BP demanding answers to new questions on oil containment and recovery. BP has 24 hours in which to respond.

All right, now a new concern along Mississippi's coast. Huge tar mats. Some, we're told, the size of school buses. Officials say that that has been -- what has been spotted off the shore there.

CNN's Ines Ferre joins us now from Long Beach, Mississippi. So give us an idea of what you have been able to see during your time there.

INES FERRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Fred, well, I'm seeing here that these workers are picking up tar balls and tar specks from the shore here. And it's really meticulous work because they have to make sure that they get as little sand as possible when they pick up these tar specks.

Now what you were just mentioning, two days ago city officials say that they saw these huge bus-sized patties out there that were breaking up before hitting the shore. And we spoke to the fire chief who's also in charge of emergency operations here and he gave us a sense of the frustration that they felt as they were watching this and they couldn't do anything about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF GEORGE BASS, LONG BRANCH, MISSISSIPPI FIRE DEPT.: Katrina was a catastrophe. I said -- we're witnessing a tragedy. I said, you know, what we're doing right now, I said we have -- we have no boats that we put out here to try to stop it. We have nothing within our means to contain this. (END OF VIDEO CLIP)

FERRE: And all they can do is really just wait for this to wash you ashore and then clean it up. And we also spoke to the mayor who told us that the city has been allocated $2 million.

Now this is BP money that's been trickled down from the states for various cities along the shore. And they need to make sure that they are spending that money wisely and the concern is that making sure that they are buying the right equipment because this money has to last them through the coming months -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Ines Ferre, thanks so much for that update. Appreciate that.

We're going to talk much more about the oil spill and its effects on the environment.

Have you wondered what the water looks like below the surface? Well, this is a CNN exclusive coming your way. A live underwater view of the damage caused by the BP oil disaster.

CNN's Amber Lyon -- you see there getting suited up in a special diver suit, hazmat right there material, to be able to descend in the murky waters and get a firsthand look of what is taking place.

She's actually not alone. She is traveling with environmentalist Philippe Cousteau. And we'll be talking to her this hour and getting an idea exactly the preparations that it took in order to get to this point. What they will be seeing. And what the expectation is, what will be done with this information once gathered by being accompanied with Philippe Cousteau.

You can watch this very unique perspective beginning this hour.

All right, a big win for gay marriage. Ahead, how a Boston judge's ruling could impact gay couples in Massachusetts and beyond.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A big win for gay marriage that could extend across the country. US district court judge in Boston has ruled a federal ban on gay marriage is unconstitutional. The decision effectively gives same-sex couples in Massachusetts the same rights to federal marital benefits as heterosexual couples. The attorney general of Massachusetts is hailing the ruling as a victory for civil rights.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARTHA COAKLEY, ATTORNEY GENERAL, MASSACHUSETTS: It means that Massachusetts can now treat all of its married couples equally on financial purposes, for health care benefits. Cannot come to Massachusetts to say, "You need to treat people differently for purposes of federal law."

BRIAN CAMENKER, MASSACHUSETTS RESISTANCE: If Massachusetts were to decide that I can marry a tree, should the federal government somehow subsidize that? That's what this is all about.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The Boston judge ruled that the US Defense of Marriage Act violates gay couples' fifth amend rights. The US Department of Justice is reviewing the Massachusetts decision.

Checking news across the country. Supporters of Arizona's tough new immigration law are putting their money where their mouths are. They contributed nearly a half million dollars so far to a legal defense fund set up by Republican governor Jan Brewer. The money will be used to defend the state against an Obama administration lawsuit challenging the controversial law.

And take a look at what's happening in San Francisco, where officials are debating a law to actually ban pet sales. If it passes, you wouldn't be able to actually buy any animal in the city except, perhaps, fish. Supporters say the idea is to stop people from buying a puppy, kitten, hamster, and so forth on impulse. They say a lot of those pets end up in shelters. Pet shop owners say the law would put them out of business, but it would encourage more adoptions from shelters.

Skip a parent/teacher conference and perhaps you will end up in the slammer? Detroit parents could spend three days in jail for missing a pair of meetings at their kid's school under a new proposal that's currently in the works. The prosecutor who is pushing the plan says moms, dads, and guardians need to be more involved in combating teen crime and high dropout rates.

So, what do you think about this? Is this the right way to fix Detroit's troubled school system? Or is it unfair to working parents? A pair of education experts are going to be grading this plan that is still in the works next hour. But we want to hear from you. Moms, dads, parents, students, teachers, all of you. Sound off on our blog, CNN.com/Fredricka. We will get some of your comments and perhaps even questions posed to our experts that will be joining us.

A mom gives birth to twins. But how much they weighed actually came as quite a shock.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A look at the top stories now. It was a spy swap. A deal between Russia and the US. It is a done deal this morning. You're looking at the airplane now carrying 10 spies in this country who plead guilty and were sent and sent out of the country, deported back to Russia. These images here out of Vienna, Austria.

And, of course, there was another plane carrying four people convicted of spying for the US. They took off from Vienna bound for the west.

So it looks like Google just might be staying in China. Google said it has renewed its license with the Chinese government to continue operating in the country. It ends a stand-off over censorship.

The Tylenol recall expands to 21 lots of products now. The latest products includes certain types of children's Tylenol as well as adult strength Benadryl and Motrin. It follows complaint of a musty or moldy odor coming from some of those products. The drug maker says the risk of serious health problems is remote.

You could say they are two very big bundles of joy. A Cincinnati woman is the proud new mama of a set of twin baby boys. And they're a pair of whoppers, if we're allowed to say that. Their combined weight, now, nearly 20 pounds.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TAMARA KANKOWSKI, MOTHER OF TWINS: I had big babies anyway. We thought that with twins we would have actual little babies.

Lucas Benjamin. And he was 10 pounds, 2 ounces. And this is Dylan Matthew, and he was 9 pounds, 9 ounces.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Oh, and they look so great. Very healthy there. Lucas and Dylan, and they'll have plenty of company at home. The twins are children number six and seven for this big, happy family.

Of course, it has been World Cup fever for a really long time. But now, it's reaching a very heightened pitch. Everywhere across the world, including in Haiti. After the devastating earthquake, folks there are finding a little bit of escape with soccer. That story is just a minute away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: It is now down to just two. Spain and the Netherlands are the last countries standing in the World Cup. The big final -- or I should say, the finale is Sunday in Johannesburg, South Africa. And by the way, an octopus in Germany that has gotten very famous these days for its predictions has actually picked Spain to win.

One place with some serious World Cup fever is Haiti, of all places. Nearly six months after that devastating earthquake, survivors there need a mental break. Something fun and positive to get into. And so, that's where the World Cup has come in. Here's CNN's Ivan Watson.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Haiti has a case of World Cup fever. Street parties where locals dance in the ruins of earthquake- shattered buildings. Soccer is filling the void left after last January's quake forced the government to cancel the Port-au-Prince Carnival, the biggest party of the year.

At this celebration, the crowd waves the green and gold colors of Brazil. A football team many Haitians go crazy for, even though it was eliminated from the championship last week.

ANDREW PAUL ANTOINE, PARTY ORGANIZER (through translator): "I love Brazil," says this party organizer. "Like I love my god, my wife, and my child."

WATSON: Sports reporters giving play-by-play coverage at Radio IBO. In a simple makeshift studio, where commentators have to compete with the roosters.

Like so many other buildings, the original radio station was destroyed by the earthquake.

RADIO COMMENTATOR: Goal!

WATSON: Veteran sports analyst Patrice Dumont says the World Cup gave Haitians a reason to laugh and sing again.

PATRICE DUMONT, SPORTS ANALYST, RADIO IBO (through translator): The earthquake happened January 12th. And we cried. And today, many families are broken and living in poverty, but they have the right to be happy. Soccer gives them the opportunity to do that.

WATSON: In one of the city's many tent colonies, homeless women and children sit entranced by a football match played on another continent.

This is the way so many Haitians are watching the World Cup, in a squalid camp, in the dirt, under a tarp like this to protect and keep dry from the afternoon rain. But for a few brief moments, this championship and World Cup fever is giving people a brief escape from the misery of the shattered capital.

But some here point out that the World Cup is no antidote to the grinding poverty of post-earthquake life.

LUCIEN FRANTZ, CAMP RESIDENT: No, I don't care. It is not interesting to me. It is not interesting to me. I got my house ripped up. I don't got anything to do, my mother don't got anything to do. I've been living on the street, right?

WATSON: At the national soccer stadium, charity groups are trying to ease the pain, broadcasting World Cup matches for free on giant screens.

KERLINE ST. AMOUR, FOOTBALL FAN (through translator): I forget about all my problems while watching the World Cup.

WATSON: Says Kerline St. Amour, who was rooting for Spain on Wednesday. She calls the championship a holiday. But, like all holidays, this month-long football festival will soon come to a close. And many Haitians will savor every final memorable moment. Ivan Watson, CNN, Port-au-Prince.

(END VIDEOTAPE) WHITFIELD: And, by the way, this on the precipice of a big marker. Next week marks six months since the quake hit, killing more than 217,000 people and affecting some 3 million in some way. Be sure to watch CNN's special coverage of Haiti, six months later. That's coming up next week.

Back in this country. Now back to the big NBA star, LeBron James, payday, actually. It could be a king's ransom. But the NBA's superstar actually makes most of his money off court. So we'll break it all down for you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Here's something we haven't had a chance to say much lately. The Dow is on a winning streak. Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange with details on that. So, we're going to the end of this week and how are things looking?

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: You know, it may be hard for stocks to push higher today, Fredricka. Wall Street is kind of (ph) in this wait and see mode, waiting on second-quarter earnings which will start rolling in on Monday. And we'll hear from big names like Alcoa, Bank of America, General Electric, and JPMorgan Chase next week. Now, we look at these earnings for clues on how corporate America is doing and if it will go ahead and step up the pace of hiring any time soon.

But, even if the market ends flat today, stocks will still record a big gain for the week. Listen to this. The Dow is up 452 points in three days of trading, so far, this week with each of the major averages up more than 4 percent.

All right. So, how are things right now? The Dow Industrials kind of sleepy this morning, down about 8. The NASDAQ and the S&P are up a fraction. Fredricka, we'll keep an eye on all the numbers for you. Back to you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Good deal. Thanks so much, Alison Kosik.

KOSIK: Sure.

WHITFIELD: Appreciate that.

All right. LeBron James, let's talk about him again, shall we? He just might be getting a huge payday. His income goes far beyond the contract that he'll be signing with the Heat. CNN's Christine Romans joins us now from New York to break it all down for us. So, we know that his endorsements are just off the chain huge. They have been for a while. How might that make a difference now that he's heading to Miami?

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Look, this is just the beginning of brand LeBron, right? LeBron Inc. Not LeBron James. Not King James. LeBron Inc. This is where he stands. According to the Forbes Celebrity 100, Fredricka, he is number 28 on that list of celebrity money makers. People whose brand goes far beyond what they do for a living, and it extends into endorsements and the like. How much is he worth according to "Forbes" last year? $15.8 million was the take home from the Cavaliers, another $10 million plus from Nike. That's an annual contract that he just renewed.

So, he got many more years probably pulling in $10 million plus from Nike. McDonald's, more recent endorsement, $4 million, and then other endorsements of about $13 million. Those are annual endorsements, so $43 million just last year making this NBA star the 28th on the list of the celebrity 100. So, this is all -- all of this drama about where he is going to go, Fredricka, is really the beginning of the next part of brand LeBron.

WHITFIELD: That kind of increased his stock, so to speak.

ROMANS: Absolutely. Absolutely. And I'll tell you what, the big thing is about Miami, the number one thing, according to Interbrand and other brand managers, is the biggest thing to sort of burnish his brand and to leverage it for the future is championship. You know. I mean, the Knicks had the best earnings potential for him for his lifetime career according to, you know, brand managers and people who follow this sort of thing, but the championship is the thing that's really going to make him if he can get it --

WHITFIELD: The big old if still out (ph).

ROMANS: Yes. There's a big if. But, look, if he stays -- assuming he plays until 38 and there in Miami, that payday could be some $569 million when you put it all together. His overall lifetime earnings. It would have been higher, actually, here in New York.

Though, the same people who forecast it say it would have been, you know, $970 million, maybe if he'd stay -- if he comes to New York. It would have even less if he stayed in Cleveland, but, look, we're -- living in an era now, Fredricka, where we will in our lifetime see the billion dollar total annual income athlete. Lot of people think that that will probably be Tiger Woods first. That was before, of course, his most recent problems, but there you go.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Another 13 years, you know, at that level. That's kind of tough, too. That's a tough expectation.

ROMANS: He got to stay healthy, can't get hurt, can't have any kinds of dramas in his personal life to derail his marketability. Yes. He got a tall order, but he's making some interesting choices. That's for sure.

WHITFIELD: All right. Very good. Christine Romans, thanks so much. Appreciate that. Of course, we're going to talk more about LeBron James, his decision, and all that comes with that decision bit later on.

Meantime, some good news from Texas. The Rangers fan that actually fell nearly 30 feet from an upper-deck seat during Tuesday's game against the Indians is out of the hospital. He says he's very lucky to be alive. Tyler Morris suffered injuries to his foot and ankle, but his fall was actually cushioned by fans below there. Just kind of by default. Morris talked to reporters as he left the hospital telling them how it all went down, so to speak.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TYLER MORRIS, RANGERS FAN WHO FELL FROM UPPER DECK: I leaned up to get it high. At that point, I was up over the railing and went backwards over the rail. I didn't -- I lost track of where I was at, I guess, at the situation. I couldn't hold on to the rail, of course. I didn't have a good enough grip. I started to fall.

One of my firefighter friends, Brandon, was sitting on the front row with me. He tried to grab me. He couldn't -- he couldn't get a hold of me where I thought -- you know, I guess, I fell. People say that I hit the -- electronic board that's underneath the deck there where I started to kind of do somersaults, you know. They just said that's where I hit. I don't remember anything past that point.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Gosh. He's a lucky guy in an unlucky kind of way there. Morris also says that he sustained a hairline fracture to his skull, and his swollen ankle will need more treatment. But he says one good thing did come out of all of this, he got to meet pitching legend and current Rangers president, Nolan Ryan. We'll have much more right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Call him the fundraiser in chief. I'm talking about the president of the United States going to bat for the Senate Majority Leader now. That's one topic that we're talking about with Candy Crowley in about two minutes. Right now, let's talk about some pretty harsh weather that's going on out there. Rob Marciano is with us right now as well.

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Hi. Good to see you.

MARCIANO: Good to see you. Yes. Some harsh sheet some records yesterday. Check out some of these numbers. Impressive stuff once again. Although, as we mentioned, the core of the heat really sank a little bit further to the south into the mid Atlantic and the southeast. Danville, Virginia, once again hitting triple digits, it's 102 for record-high yesterday. Savannah, Georgia seeing 101, Charlotte, North Carolina 100, Anniston, Alabama seeing 100 as well, and the northwest getting into the act. They typically are fairly cool or cooler, relatively speaking, 95 degrees in Seattle.

All right. What we have going here today is a little cool front that's trying to make its way to the east, but this time of year, everything just moves real slow. Jet stream is very weak. So, typically, the northern part of cold fronts will move a little bit faster and then the back head will kind of trail behind. Showers and some thunderstorms will be pushing towards the northeast, and they'll cool them off a little bit later on today. But we'll be hot again across parts of the south and some thunderstorms trying to fire across Myrtle Beach, but they'll clear out and we will see temperatures once again rise to about 100 degrees and with the humidity. Heat advisories have been posted for this area, including Charleston. So, we could see 105, 110 feel like temperatures. Two to four inches of rainfall potentially on top of what they've already seen in the southeast. Part of Texas from what's leftover of tropical depression number two flooding across Rio Grande. We'll talk more about that next -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much, Rob. Something tells me you were up late last night as well, just like the rest of the world watching the announcement of LeBron James.

MARCIANO: I was.

WHITFIELD: Who wasn't?

MARCIANO: And it was as boring as I thought it would be, but nonetheless --

WHITFIELD: Oh, but there was a lot of excitement. Not just in Cleveland where he decided to depart, but of course, to Miami where he is now already in his new hometown. He is wearing his sun shades today after making his announcement last night on live television in prime time. NBA star, LeBron James now calling Miami home and so the folks there got very excited when they heard from his mouth, he said I'm heading to South Beach.

So, Rene Marsh is with our affiliate WSVN in Miami right outside the American Airlines Arena which is where LeBron will be playing and calling that home. How over the top excited are people there?

RENE MARSH, WSVN-TV CORRESPONDENT: You know, Fredricka, excited is probably an understatement. Miami is literally on fire ever since that big announcement here. Now, I want to show you this is where hundreds of fans. They packed in on the upper level of this arena here, and they were watching the big announcement right there on that big screen. And I'll you once he made that announcement, everyone went wild. In fact, not just the fans here but the entire city went wild. And I think we have some video, Fredricka, of LeBron James 'arriving thing morning.

He got to Miami around 3:00 in the morning here, and he arrived by private jet. He was met at the airport, Miami International Airport, by Pat Riley, and of course, some fans. He took off in an SUV. Fans chased that SUV as well as the paparazzi. We're told he's staying at a South Beach Hotel here.

But it is quiet now here, but that's only for now, Fredricka. The party is just beginning. We're hearing that the heat, they are actually planning a big public celebration here in Miami later on tonight. And already, we're hearing that tons of fans are coming down to the arena just to look for parking and to talk about the economic impact. I mean, the ticket sales, season tickets, totally sold out.

WHITFIELD: Already?

MARSH: And these people are also getting ready to line up for those new LeBron James T-shirts. Yes, ticket sales, they're all gone. The best luck that you would have is maybe what used to be $10 tickets, single tickets, you might be able to get that. But as far as the season tickets, those are long gone.

WHITFIELD: Will he still get to secure that number 23, do we know? His number of choice.

MARSH: Well, he's no longer number 23. He's now number 6 with the -- with the Miami Heat. And those T-shirts, they have been printing them out before the decision was even announced. Just in anticipation of this. They resumed this morning. Actually, we visited one shop earlier today, and they said they're getting in 30,000 more T-shirts just to print them up because they anticipate people are going to pick them up as soon as they enter the store.

WHITFIELD: Incredible. Six is the hot number there for the Miami Heat. All right. Rene Marsh, thanks so much. Appreciate that. Coming to us from Miami. And right there, the American Airlines Arena, new home to LeBron James now. We'll have much more in the NEWSROOM right after this.

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WHITFIELD: All right. President Obama is in Nevada to help raise money for the Senate Majority leader, Harry Reid, who is in a battle with Republican challenger, Sharron Angle. And that's just one topic where we're going to talk over with our chief political correspondents the "STATE OF THE UNION" host, Candy Crowley.

Good to see you coming to us from Washington.

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

WHITFIELD: OK, so the president is turning into the fundraiser- in-chief for Democrats. And Harry Reid is hoping for a major boost by this president. Can it happen?

CROWLEY: We'll see. We'll see. Right now he is behind in the poll. But remember that Senator Reid is up against two opponents that makes it somewhat easier. And also, what the President can do in addition to raising money and believe me in midterms, presidents come in mighty handy raising money, he can also get the base enthused.

The Democratic base, because that's who votes in these midterm elections largely. It is the base of both parties. So if your base sits home you're going to lose automatically.

So it's -- it's to -- the President can bring some enthusiasm back to Democrats, some of whom think that he has gone too far to the middle. Some of whom just have kind of look at the economy and felt that not enough has been done. So the President not only raises money but he just generates some enthusiasm which is always helpful. WHITFIELD: So Harry Reid's challenger, Sharron Angle, she is not only the Tea Party darling, but there are other reasons why she is a threat. What are they?

CROWLEY: Well, it's -- it's actually in some ways -- if we go back to Tom Daschle who was the Democratic leader in the senate until the people of South Dakota went well, and it doesn't look like he represents us anymore.

It is very hard to be the Majority Leader or the Democratic leader because you begin to look way too Washington. So in some ways, Harry Reid's very success runs against him. So there is that. She also is going to have some money and has -- she also has very enthusiastic backers.

The Tea Party element in every state tends to be the most energized part of it. I mean, that's one of the things that people who self-identify as Tea Party members, those are the ones that are the most enthusiastic and she has their backing.

WHITFIELD: OK, let's talk about Arizona, and the Department of Justice going after Arizona for the tough new immigration law. And you have to wonder, too, if the Obama administration feels like a lot is at stake in its continued pursuit of this law. Might that pursuit potentially backfire especially as we talk about November?

CROWLEY: Well, if you're looking at the pure politics of it, there is a chance here. Because what we're seeing in poll after poll is that most Americans, a good majority of Americans, favor the Arizona law.

Now, the Justice Department is going after this as a discriminatory, encouraging profiling law. That's what this basically is.

Is that you know, someone -- you know, a white guy walking down the street is not likely to be asked for his papers, even if he could be Canadian or anything else. But a Latino could be. And so they are going after this sort of discrimination kind of idea.

But in the pure politics of it the President came out and gave a big speech as you remember last week and said we've got to have immigration reform and the Republicans are holding it up. That's the politics of it right now.

I want immigration reform because that satisfies as part of the President's base who are waiting for him to push for reform. Him saying well, I'm trying but these Republicans are standing in the way.

And politically it helps him because it's another one of those issues that the White House feels in their candidates can take and turn around in some places. Because I can tell you there are a lot of Democrats that don't want to talk about immigration at this point either.

WHITFIELD: OK. Let's talk about RNC Chair Michael Steele and how he -- as you know -- he got a lot of -- he's received a lot of criticism from people within his own party, people said he needs to step down, et cetera.

Now he has decided to comment further on his comments about the Obama administration in Afghanistan. What he has to say, does it help him in his standing?

CROWLEY: Listen, what he has to say that the most important is I'm not going anywhere. And the fact of the matter is the only one at this point that can get rid of Michael Steele should they want to is Michael Steele.

He has a term that doesn't end until January. And then I suspect that he will, in fact, have some challengers. But if you look at just the process of the politics of this, in order to get him out, would have to come from a vote of members of the Republican Party. That's just almost impossible to do.

So you have members, meaning the -- basically the board, chairmen in the various states, and there are two or three others in states representing the Republican Party. They have to get together and vote against him. It's very hard to do.

And also, let's face it. It's July. There are elections in November. Michael Steele is still out there raising money. He has an argument to be made that the big elections that they have had between 2008 and now Republicans have won.

So it looks like he is staying where he is staying. Although, Republicans would really like him to stop talking about --

WHITFIELD: OK, what's on tap for "STATE OF THE UNION" this Sunday?

CROWLEY: A sort of potpourri. David Axelrod, one of the president's closest advisers, will be on. We're going to talk as well there's Governor Bill Richardson and Republican Trent Franks who is from Arizona, talking about that immigration. And also Kenneth Feinberg, as you know he is the man in charge of charge of doling out payments in the Gulf.

There have been problems with that. People saying they are not they're not getting any money. So we're going to try to touch a lot of bases this Sunday.

WHITFIELD: As you always do. We always become so much more informed and smarter as a result. Thanks so much.

CROWLEY: Thanks.

WHITFIELD: Candy Crowley --

CROWLEY: Thanks Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: -- from Washington, I appreciate that.

We'll have much more of the news coming right after this.

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WHITFIELD: OK, skip a parent/teacher conference, and you'll end up behind bars? There is a proposal to prosecute Detroit area parents who actually do that, if they don't show up for meetings at their children's school.

The Wayne County prosecutor who is pushing the plan says moms, dads, guardians; all of them need to get involved in order to attack high dropout rates, high teen crime rates and record low test scores.

Well, under the plan, parents who don't show up for school meetings could face three days in jail.

So, what do you think about all this? Is this the right way to fix Detroit's troubled school system or is it unfair to working parents? A pair of education experts will be joining me and trying to place a grade on this plan that's still in the works, next hour.

But, of course, we want to hear from you, moms, dads, students, teachers, all of you sound off on our blog CNN.com/Fredericka and give some idea what you think.

Right, so much more ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM. Let's check with our team of reporters for what they're working on for the next hour. We begin with Susan Candiotti in New York.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredericka. Well, the Cold War-esque spy case is nearly complete, the spy swap is over. I'll have the live report coming up in the next hour.

PATRICIA WU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Patricia Wu in New York. The first relief well being built to stop the oil gusher could be done in seven to ten days. If it's the best hope for plugging the leak, why not drill them at the same time as exploratory wells. Well, there are strong objections and big risks. We'll break them down in the next hour.

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: And I'm Rob Marciano, on the CNN Severe Weather Center, another day of record-breaking heat and what's left of tropical depression two causing some bad flooding across Texas. We'll do that plus the weekend forecast in the next hour -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks to all of you.

We'll check in with you momentarily.

Meantime, a CNN exclusive that you don't want to miss as well; a live underwater view of the damage caused by the BP oil disaster.

CNN's Amber Lyon, right there, suiting up will be in a special hazmat gear and she'll be diving into the Gulf of Mexico, she along with environmentalist Philippe Cousteau. They'll be giving us a first-hand look at the polluted and dangerous waters. Amber and her team are on a boat. They will soon be descending into the Gulf. We expect them to join us live from the open water any minute now. And you're looking at some live images right now of the boat that they are actually on. Apparently, they are all getting their dive gear in check, checking their regulators, their tanks, et cetera.

And then they will be joining us, and we will actually get a chance to see exactly what they're seeing under water. We'll talk with them as well.

As you see right there, Amber, who was suiting up earlier, getting a dry run on getting that hazmat, that special dive gear, hazmat suit up and running there. And they'll be joining us momentarily, right after this.

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