Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Oil Stains More Coastline; Oil Buried in Landfills Worries Coastal Residents; Miami Welcomes LeBron James; Oakland Tense After Verdict; Americans Saving More, Spending Less; Training for Triathlon

Aired July 09, 2010 - 11:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Live from Studio 7 at the CNN headquarters, a CNN exclusive on this Friday, July 9th.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AMBER LYON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Everyone we talked to who has seen the dispersed oil, which is in the form of -- it looks almost like droplets of water -- they say that the majority of that is within the first 15 feet of the water column. So we're going to hopefully be able to go down to 30 feet and then look up and see how it's affecting the amount of light that comes down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Boy, I am anticipating that. Fredricka has been talking about it all morning with our reporter down there in the Gulf. A CNN team will dive beneath the oily muck in the Gulf of Mexico. We're going to have live coverage throughout the next two hours.

And look at the chaos there. Anxious moments in Oakland. A verdict in a trial of a former police officer leads to street skirmishes and looting.

And gay rights supporters hail a federal judge's ruling. His decision may bring the issue of same-sex marriage a step closer to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Good morning, everyone. I'm Don Lemon. Tony is off today.

Those stories and your comments right here, right now in the CNN NEWSROOM.

You know, it is day 81 of this Gulf oil disaster, and we are taking you on an exclusive undersea voyage in the disaster zone live this hour. You don't want to miss it. It's going to be amazing. We don't know what we're going to see down there, so we're all anticipating this.

Here's just a preview of the developments that we're following at this hour.

What lies beneath? A CNN crew, including environmentalist Philippe Cousteau, will take us on a deep sea dive into the Gulf of Mexico. We'll talk to them live as they survey the effects of the oil.

The view from above. A U.S. Navy blimp could make its first flight over the oil slick today. Officials hope it will speed up skimming efforts.

And more oil on the shores -- tar mats, we're not talking about tar balls -- they are now washing up on Texas and Mississippi coastlines. Details for you in a live report.

But happening right now, the government's point man on the oil disaster giving an update. We are monitoring the briefing by retired Coast Guard General Admiral Thad Allen. So make sure you stay with us for the latest on that, including any new developments on the blimp fly-over or the drilling of that relief well.

You heard me mention the size of large mats. The consistency of liver, that is how one official describes the tar that is washing up on the Mississippi coastline. Long Beach, Mississippi, is usually bustling with tourists this time of year. Now cleanup crews are on the beach, and they are picking up these tar balls and tar mats.

Ines Ferre joins me now live from Long Beach.

Ines, tar mats? That's disturbing.

INES FERRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And they saw those tar mats out there, and then they would break up as they washed ashore, Don.

But I wanted you to look at this beach. It's gorgeous.

It's Long Beach. It's in Mississippi. The sand here is just beautiful. But if you get closer to the shore, these workers are cleaning up tar balls, tar specks (ph), and it's really meticulous work, because they have to make sure that they're picking up the tar balls without taking in sand at the same time.

Now, a couple of days ago, the city officials had seen these big huge tar patties. They said they were the size of buses, and they would break up as they would hit ashore. And we spoke to the fire department chief, who is also in charge of emergency operations here, and he told us the frustration that he felt when he was watching them come ashore, but there wasn't anything that they could do about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF GEORGE BASS, LONG BEACH, MISSISSIPPI, FIRE DEPT.: Katrina was a catastrophe. I said, we're witnessing a tragedy. I said, you know, what we're doing right now, we have no boats that we can put out there to try to stop it. We have nothing within our means to contain this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FERRE: And Don, I want you to take a look at this part of the beach.

OK. You see over there, that's the harbor. And they're trying to make sure that the harbor is open.

They have got booms there, but they're saying that those booms aren't really doing anything. I mean, the water goes right over them. And they have got these small boats that are along that are surveying the area, that are also picking up some of the tar balls, and they want to make sure that this area is open, because those boat owners are leasing that area, and they want to make sure that they don't pull the boats out of there.

Some of them have already done so. But this is revenue for the city. They want to make sure that the harbor is open, that the boat owners can go out there and enjoy the water as much as they can -- Don.

LEMON: I have a question for you. I'm sure they're hoping that not much more happens there, especially in the form of tar balls or tar mats. But what does the city expect to see over the next few days, Ines?

FERRE: Yes, and that's the thing that they just don't know. I mean, you go out there and you see these oil slicks out there, you see these tar patties, but you just don't know. It all depends on the winds, when it's going to wash ashore. And all they can do is just wait for it to wash ashore and then send out cleaners to clean it up -- Don.

LEMON: All right, Ines. Thank you very much. Stand by. We'll be getting back to you.

I want to tell the viewers, though, there's a setback for the government's efforts to reinstate a ban on exploratory deepwater oil drilling. A federal appeals panel upholds a judge's orders to block the six-month moratorium. The Obama administration put the moratorium in place after the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig.

The government opposes drilling new wells until safety concerns are addressed. Opponents say the ban only causes more economic harm to that region.

Now to a preview of our exclusive voyage beneath the Gulf in the oil disaster zone. CNN correspondent Amber Lyon and environmentalist Philippe Cousteau, that's expected within the next hour. It's going to be amazing, so you want to stick around.

We'll be talking to them live as they survey the damage from the oil leak beneath the water. Earlier, they talked about the hazards and the precautions that they're taking.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going to actually create our own environment inside the suit. We're going to create an environment for the diver to survive in a hostile environment, which is the water. So we're creating a barrier. We're basically putting him in a body glove. It's just like putting your hand in a surgical glove. Well, we're going to put their whole body in a surgical glove. It isolates them from the contaminants.

LYON: It's a very thick rubber, and what it does is you get in this, and you actually stay completely dry under water. And then you see this part of the rubber goes on your skin and makes a very tight seal so that you don't get any type of contaminated water into this suit on you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: And you'll want to stick around, because you're going to be seeing that live here. It is going to be amazing. Again, we don't know what we're going to find. They don't know what they're going to find. And there is, of course, a safety hazard there in all of this.

This isn't a usual dive. Our crew has undergone extensive training to ensure their safety while they are under water.

And our Rob Marciano joins us now.

Rob, you had to undergo several hours of training before you went down there to the Gulf of Mexico.

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: You know, forget about going underneath the water. I mean, just to clean up the beach, I had to go through four hours of hazmat training, and that's just bottom of the rung hazmat training. Then you graduate to an eight-hour course or a 40-hour course in that regard. So, God only knows what she had to go through to get to this level.

LEMON: It's like what we do when we go to hazardous training, when we go to war zone training and those sorts of things. This is the same sort of process.

MARCIANO: It is, and there's so many things. You think it's common sense, but there's a lot more that gets involved in just the bottom of the barrel hazmat training. And to escalate to the next level and deal with an underwater suit like she's going to have to deal with is certainly something that's unusual.

LEMON: Talk to me about that. Talk to me about the suit there, and the wear and tear of that. And will it deteriorate, normal suits, from what's in the Gulf?

MARCIANO: Well, I'm not sure exactly what it's made of, but if it's in there for a long time, I'm certain there's going to be some wear and tear on it. The key is, you know, he made the analogy of a body glove. In my eyes, it's more like a spacesuit. I mean, you're really trying to cover every inch of your body from a hostile environment.

Just to give you an idea of where she is going and where the Deepwater Horizon rig is, this is where it is. And where she's going is over here, in a little bit more shallow water. There are thousands of these rigs that have been abandoned over the past 30 years out there in the Gulf of Mexico, and this one is a little bit more shallow.

It doesn't really matter. This is the ridge where everything drops off from a couple hundred feet to down about 5,000 feet, where the Deepwater Horizon is.

But where she's going is out by this abandoned rig, and it's where recreational divers will go to do what they do, which is check out fish. And they'll do some fishing.

Now, I only have done some recreational dives at the 12 meters. I'm not certified. So I'm not sure.

It's going to be interesting for me and you and the rest of our viewers to see what happens underneath the water, because I've been out with scientists who try to measure this stuff to see what have been reported to be underwater plumes, and those plumes, Don, for the most part, are invisible. It's dispersed oil that is microscopic. You can measure it chemically, but you don't see it as far as scooping it up off the water.

LEMON: So you don't know what you're dealing with.

MARCIANO: But there haven't been many people who actually dove through this stuff. So we'll see in the 30-foot column exactly what's down there visibly. So that's going to be something eye-opening to see this morning.

LEMON: And this a first. This is a first right here on CNN.

Rob, thank you very much. I appreciate your expertise. I'm a diver, too, but just fun on vacation. Nothing like what's going on here.

MARCIANO: Right.

LEMON: So, listen, we want you to be a part of what's going on here. We want you to log in. We want you to be a part of this show, of this catastrophe. It affects all of us.

So I want to make sure you check out the latest blog entry at CNN.com/Don. We want you to leave your comment there, and your questions as well, and we'll put them to the divers while they're in the water. And you can also reach me on Facebook, on Twitter, and also on Foursquare as well. So make sure you become part of the show here.

Again, this is going to be unprecedented and it's going to be amazing for us here at CNN because we don't know what's going to happen. And we want to take the viewer through it, and we want you to be a part of it.

In the meantime, Gulf Coast residents vent at BP.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're tired of being dumped on. We don't want it. It's valuable landfill space and it's hazardous to our citizens. Take your waste somewhere else or please find an alternative.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: You can imagine every minute that goes on, anger rises over oil gunk that's getting buried in Mississippi landfills.

First, a quick check of our stocks right now.

Take a look at the Dow. You can see the Dow now up 1.52. It's going up. It just opened a little while ago, two hours ago. So we'll see how it fares the rest of the day.

But there you go. We're watching it right here on CNN.

Don't go away. Hey, listen, we're going beneath the murky waters in the Gulf Coast with a diver and with our correspondent right here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Day 81 of this Gulf oil disaster, and we have been covering it. But there is a new way to cover it we have found here on CNN.

We're going beneath the murky waters of the Gulf of Mexico with a diver, Philippe Cousteau, and also with our correspondent and crew. And we will be able to talk to them live, a Q&A beneath the waters, about what they're finding, if they're seeing any environmental impact, and also what they're feeling as well.

And we'll talk to them about the safety issues that they're dealing with as well in the Gulf of Mexico. That's going to happen right here on CNN in just moments, so make sure you stay tuned.

In the meantime, BP is burning and selling oil captured and skimmed from the Gulf of Mexico, but what about the globs of goo pulled off those beaches?

Here's CNN's Randi Kaye. She's in Mississippi.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If you have been wondering where all that scooped-up onshore oil ends up, here is your answer. This is Mississippi's Pecan Grove landfill.

What cleanup crews gather onshore, tar balls, oiled sand and vegetation, is hauled away and buried here. That even includes the cleanup crews' gloves, suits, shovels, and rakes, anything that's touched oil. It's one of nine landfills BP has cut deals with across the Gulf to dump all this stuff. So, that must mean the communities are OK with it, too, right? Wrong. Connie Rockco is the president of the Board of Supervisors in Harrison County, Mississippi where the Pecan Grove landfill is located.

(on camera): How do you feel about this oily mixture coming off the beaches and ending up in your landfill?

CONNIE ROCKCO, BOARD OF SUPERVISORS PRESIDENT, HARRISON COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI: Well, we're tired of being dumped on. We don't want it. It's valuable landfill space, and it's hazardous to our citizens. Take your waste somewhere else, or please find an alternative.

KAYE (voice-over): Rockco says the county board passed a resolution not to accept any BP waste in this community. But that didn't matter. That's because Waste Management, which owns the landfill, doesn't have to listen to what the county board says. It answers to the state.

So, it signed a contract with BP and started dumping the oily waste right where Rockco and plenty of others feared they would.

(on camera): What concerns you most about this oil and the tar balls and this whole mixture going to your landfill?

ROCKCO: The long-term effects that we will have to endure if it, in fact -- if, in fact, we do find that it is dangerous.

KAYE: Like if it gets into your water, or...

ROCKCO: Into the water table, absolutely.

KAYE (voice-over): Keeping Them Honest, we asked BP why it's disposing of spill waste in a county that says it's pleaded with them not to. BP wouldn't comment.

So, we asked Waste Management's Ken Haldin to take us inside the landfill so we could see for ourselves why BP, the EPA and Waste Management all say it's safe.

(on camera): There are many worried that whatever is going into this landfill from the oil spill is going to end up in their water system and make the community sick.

KEN HALDIN, SPOKESPERSON, WASTE MANAGEMENT: Right. It's an understandable concern because there's a lack of awareness about what an engineered landfill is.

KAYE (voice-over): Haldin says this is a non-hazardous waste site. He says there wouldn't be any liquid oil coming here, just solid oil waste. Before it's dumped, it's stored in these huge containers and analyzed.

In the last 24 hours, Haldin says they dropped more than 150 tons of BP waste into this landfill -- 150 tons.

(on camera): If the county didn't want it, why is it here?

HALDIN: And that's something they have certainly appealed to the state about and to others about. And we understand that. And we are going to do our utmost to be sure that they are familiar with what is going on here.

KAYE: Haldin says this landfill has a liner that runs underneath the entire site. In fact, it's under my feet where I'm walking right now. He says that liner is supposed to contain everything that's dumped here at the landfill and protect it from any leaks.

He also says the groundwater and the air is monitored, and, if anything goes wrong, they would know it.

(voice-over): The EPA told us, BP, along with the EPA, are also sampling the landfills regularly to make sure they are safe. The agency also said it directed BP to keep its waste disposal operations "fully transparent."

BP must post information about the disposal of all collected waste on their Web site, along with any community complaints.

Connie Rockco is first in line.

ROCKCO: If it's not hazardous, why would someone be out with Tyvek suits and rubber gloves and that sort of thing picking it up and taking it to the landfill?

KAYE: Randi Kaye, CNN, Pass Christian, Mississippi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: All right, Randi Kaye.

All right. So, are you sick of seeing these pictures, the pictures of the Gulf, what's happening? We've been seeing them day after day after day. But we're bringing you the oil disaster from a whole new angle, a CNN exclusive that will take you underneath the oil. And we're going to bring it to you live. We'll be able to talk to the people who are down there as well.

Also, he is so good at what he does, they call him "The King." Not talking about Elvis. Well, LeBron James is who I'm talking about.

He has a new throne in a new city, and that's not sitting well in Cleveland and maybe a couple of other cities around the nation as well. We've got the nasty letter from his former boss. You've got to see it to believe it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Listen, we have been working here at CNN to find new ways of telling you what's going on down in the Gulf of Mexico, really bringing this story home to you.

It's been 80 or so days since this all started. We've been seeing a lot of the same pictures. They're disturbing, but we found a new way.

We're going beneath the murky water, the Gulf of Mexico, with a diver, Philippe Cousteau, and also with one of our correspondents and our crews. And we'll be able to talk to them about what they're going to find. We're going to see firsthand what's under the water live, right here on CNN, so make sure you stay tuned. Our crews are getting into place right now.

And, of course, as always, we want you to be a part of this dive, too, be a part of this show. This catastrophe affects all of us, so make sure you check out my latest blog entry at CNN.com/Don, or you can leave your comments and questions there, and we'll put them to the divers while they are out in the water. I'll take some of your questions.

Also, you can reach me on Twitter, on Facebook, and also at Foursquare. Just look for Don Lemon.

In the meantime, this story has captured the nation's attention as well. This is the water cooler story of the week, maybe of the year.

"The King" has a new throne. That new throne is in Miami.

LeBron James arrived there early this morning. Cameras were of course waiting, hordes of media. Look at all those cameras and clicks there. But they only got a brief glimpse of LeBron James, "King James," as they say.

The reaction in Miami to James' announcement last night that he was switching teams, of course you can imagine it was a frenzied celebration. People were just ecstatic. He is leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers though to play for the Heat.

On "Good Morning America" today, he talked about what led to his decision.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What was the defining moment for you?

LEBRON JAMES, BASKETBALL PLAYER: The defining moment, to be able to be alongside greatness, raises your level. And being down there with Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade. And then, secondly, like I keep stressing, the fact of me being happy in this situation. And I'm feeling real comfortable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: All right. Well, Cleveland, well, they didn't take the news very well. The city's reaction? Check it out -- burning jerseys.

This video says it all. And Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert posted a letter on the team Web site saying, "Bad karma will follow LeBron to Miami." And this is it, adding -- this is an unbelievable statement -- he says, "This was announced with a several day, narcissistic self- promotional buildup, culminating with a national TV special of his decision unlike anything ever witnessed in the history of sports and probably the history of entertainment. You simply don't deserve this kind of cowardly betrayal."

Weigh in on that, too, on social media for us. Send us a message. Want to see what you guys are thinking about that.

In the meantime, we're very excited here, and you should be at home as well, because we have a CNN exclusive for you, a new way of covering this story, perhaps getting more information about the hazards under the water than we've gotten before. A live deep sea dive in the oil disaster zone. Our crews will take us on an underwater voyage to survey effects of the oil.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Lots of news happening today. Want to give you our top stories right now.

Late details now on the Gulf oil disaster, day 81. Day 81.

Mats -- we have been talking about balls of oil. Now mats of oil the size of buses, we're told, are coming ashore in Texas and are threatening some of the environment there today, and doing the same thing to Mississippi.

We'll take you under the oil in the Gulf live this hour. Our CNN team ventures into the contaminated water to show us the scene. It is a CNN exclusive that you don't want to miss.

There are some other top stories as well.

Coast Guard divers near Philadelphia pulled a body from the Delaware River today. It was discovered near the site where a tour boat and barge collided on Wednesday. Two passengers were thrown into the water, and they are missing at this hour. Thirty-five people were ferried to safety.

And the Obama Justice Department is expected to appeal a federal judge's ruling on the Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, as they say. The law says the federal government cannot recognize same-sex marriage. Cannot recognize same-sex marriage. The judge says the law is unconstitutional.

As we have been telling you here on CNN, we're anticipating this, and I'm sure you are as a viewer as well, if you have been paying attention to this story in the Gulf of Mexico, as I'm sure you have been. A CNN team with environmentalist Philippe Cousteau diving beneath the oily muck in the Gulf of Mexico.

We're going to bring that to you live, right here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Time now to talk about the severe weather. (WEATHER REPORT)

LEMON: Listen, next, preview of our exclusive voyage beneath the Gulf of Mexico in the oil disaster zone. CNN correspondent Amber Lyon and environmentalist Philippe Cousteau diving into the contaminated water from an abandoned oil rig. We will be talking to them live as they survey the damage from the oil leak.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: This is really going to be interesting, fascinating television you are going to see here and we are going to give you a preview of our exclusive voyage beneath the Gulf in the oil disaster zone. CNN correspondent Amber Lyon and environmentalist Philippe Cousteau, that's expected within the next hour. And we'll be talking to them live as they survey the damage from the oil leak, talking to them live from beneath the water.

Earlier they talked about the hazards and precautions that they're taking.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUCK BUCHANAN, DIVE MASTER/EMT: We're going to actually create our own environment inside the suit. We're going to create an environment for the diver to survive in a hostile environment which is the water. So we're creating a barrier. We're basically putting him in a body glove, a -- it's just like putting your hand in a surgical glove. Well, we're going to put their whole body in a surgical glove and isolate them from the contaminants.

AMBER LYON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's a very thick rubber, and what it does is you get in this and actually stay completely dry under water. And then, you see this part of the rubber goes on your skin, and it's a very tight feel so that you don't get any type of contaminated water into this suit on you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: In other news, Oakland is tense this morning following the verdict in a trial of a former transit system police officer. Protesters were angry that the jury decided on involuntary manslaughter and not murder. Cell phone video showed the white officer shooting an unarmed black man in the back on New Year's Day of 2009.

And CNN's Casey Wian was on the streets.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Protesters throwing rocks at those windows of some of the shops behind me and it appears that they have broken into the Foot Locker store just down the street there. We have seen shoes up in the air.

Police officers have set up a perimeter around this area of downtown and so far the protesters have not tested that perimeter.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: We'll continue to follow that story.

Meantime, the biggest spy swap since the Cold War went down at an airport in Vienna, Austria this morning. Ten Russian agents arrived on a charter flight from the United States and were turned over to authorities from Moscow. Russia gave up four people convicted of spying for the U.S.

The American attorney for red-headed Russian Anna Chapman says he didn't want to leave because of her business.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT BAUM, ANNA CHAPMAN'S ATTORNEY: Under the agreement that she signed, she can only come back to the United States after direct authorization by the United States government. It is highly unlikely they would ever grant such authorization. I can tell you that she would have preferred to stay in the United States and work.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: This next story that I'm going to tell you about -- listen. We are waiting. We are not stringing you along here, just want to make that clear. We are waiting for our crews to get in place down in the Gulf. They have a lot of technical issues to deal with, a lot of safety issues, suiting up and all of that. But they are getting prepared and at any moment you are going to see a CNN exclusive, a live deep sea dive in the oil disaster zone. Our crews -- well, they're going to take us under water on a voyage to survey the water on the Gulf of Mexico.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right, let's talk about money. Cutting back on debt, paying off bills, this may be the new American way, but there is a downside to spending less money. Alison Kosik explains both sides of that story from the New York Stock Exchange. Also Alison is going to give us a check of the numbers as well.

How are you doing?

ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Don, good.

First, check in numbers, Dow Jones Industrial Average up about 10, and the other averages flat. Kind of a slow summer kind of day. Let's talk about the debt you are talking about.

Let's me throw this number out at you, Don, $2.4 trillion -- that's how much money Americans borrowed in May. Sure, it's a big number, but believe it or not, it's less than they borrowed in April. It's down about 4.5 percent or about $9 billion. And the amount of debt has actually fallen for four straight months. Now the Federal Reserve said it really means that people are saving more money. We're cutting back the most on how much we're using credit cards and we're also seeing this with other types of credit we take out. I'm talking about car loans, personal loans and student loans also fell in May.

All right, so why are we taking on less debt? Well banks may still be lending less. Also, it's kind of like a lesson learned from the recession. Lots of people are putting their financial house in order because they know that their finances are under pressure. The underemployed or unemployed don't have much money to spend, either, and the rest of us, we're just being more cautious with our money, which usually is a good thing. Right, Don?

LEMON: It is a good thing. But you know, being cautious, not spending, I would imagine that's not good for the economy. How is it affecting?

KOSIK: Saving is a good thing on a individual basis, but it's really spending that drives the economy. I mean, consumer spending is really the lion's share of what makes the economy move. So this will wind up limiting the recovery that we're in.

The big issue is that people are unclear about where the job market is going, so personal finances, retirement plans, they have taken a big hit recently. So they're pulling back on how much money they spend. So, you know, the bottom line is a lesson for all of us, it's really important to strike a balance between saving and spending.

And once again to the numbers, investors are doing a little bit of spending today, stocks are slightly higher though it is a little kind of quiet on Wall Street. We have got a bit of caution, Don, as we head into the earnings season which starts next week and we are coming off the three-day rally that lifted the Dow by more than 450 points. So we may be seeing investors taking a bit of a breather today before we head into the weekend.

LEMON: I would say, Alison, as long as it's in the plus column, most people are OK with it.

KOSIK: I hear you. I'm with you.

LEMON: Thank you very much. We'll check back with the stock exchange to see how it's doing. In the meantime, we want to give you your top stories right now here on CNN.

On day 81 of the oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, a U.S. Navy blimp could make its first flight over the disaster zone. It's hoped the blimp will help reduce the time between spotting oil and getting skimmers to the scene.

Other top stories to tell you about right now, this one from Mexico. Mexico's president promises federal aid to three states battered by Hurricane Alex. The storm's heavy rain is blamed for at least 15 deaths. Tensions rise in Oakland, California after a jury convicted a white former police officer of manslaughter in the shooting death of unarmed African-American man. Protesters wanted a murder conviction.

And ten Russian agents accused of spying in the U.S. have arrived in Moscow. They were swapped for four Russians accused of spying for the U.S. The swap took place in Vienna, Austria.

Here's what we're working on for the top of the hour for next hour for you -- a CNN exclusive, Philippe Cousteau and our reporter diving into the Gulf to get a closer look at the oil's impact on wildlife. Watch them and hear from them live right under the water in the Gulf of Mexico.

Should you eat seafood from the Gulf? A lot of people have been pondering that, asking that question. So our Dr. Sanjay Gupta has some answers. He weighs in for you.

And a federal judge in Boston rules the federal government's ban on gay marriage is unconstitutional. What does that mean for the rest of the country? "In Session" host Sunny Hostin joins me to talk about the ins and outs of this and what is what's going on, the fallout as well.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: I'm sure you guys are going to be doing a lot of swimming lately, especially with the heat, after all it is summer. But the next time you take a swim, I want to you think of Meredith Clark. She is taking CNN's Fit Nation Challenge and she's already primed and getting ready to compete.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MEREDITH CLARK, FIT NATION CHALLENGE PARTICIPANT: Hello there and good morning, it's Meredith Clark here with CNN's Fit Nation Triathlon Challenge. I'm fresh back from a morning swim of 1,000 yards in preparation for the triathlon.

I'm excited about the Nautica New York City Triathlon. I'm looking forward now to jumping in the Hudson, which was a big fear of mine until I guess a little over a week ago. But I'm looking forward to seeing the crowds and hearing the people and just feeling the adrenalin pump as we complete this race.

This process has been a life-style change and a transition for me. I am really looking forward to becoming a triathlete, to incorporating the workouts into my daily schedule not just for the purpose of racing but just for the fun, the exercise that I get from doing it.

It's been a lot of fun having you guys along for the journey. I hope to see you there at the finish line on July 18th in the Nautica New York City Triathlon.

This is Meredith Clark signing off. (END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Good luck, Meredith. I'm sure you'll do great.

OK, listen, as you see, it is day 81 there and we have been telling you about this all morning. We are anticipating it. Our crews are getting into place there to bring you some live coverage. We are going to get you to the Gulf of Mexico, actually live coverage from beneath the Gulf. A CNN team prepares to dive under the oil.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

LEMON: You know what? Millions of Americans will dine out tonight. Rob Marciano is probably one of them. But how many of you leave a good tip? I'm sure Rob will leave a good tip, but how many of you do? It's what's hot on CNN.com Eatocracy blog.

CNN asked several restaurant patrons what prompts them to give to their servers. Look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

QUESTION: When you go out to eat at a restaurant, are you automatically going to tip your server or does it depend on the service?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The server is obviously going to get a tip. Depends on how well they do obviously, 15 to 20 percent.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The service determines how much.

QUESTION: So there is always going to be a tip?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There is always going to be a tip.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If I have good service, I will give a tip.

QUESTION: You're a big tipper?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, yes, if I'm happy to, you know -- if I'm satisfied to what I get.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a tough economy, and I want to make sure people are compensated. And a lot of the waitresses and waiters, they're really not making that much.

QUESTION: When don't you leave a tip?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When the server is a an (EXPLETIVE DELETED).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We order dessert and he goes, I've got to change the bill. You know, that kind of thing. So like -- you know, just rude.

QUESTION: So he complained you made the decision to spend more money at the restaurant?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They actually wrote a little note on the check that said, "20 percent tip would be nice." I would have left a generous tip, but I don't like being bullied into it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Oh, we all have had our stories. I'm sure you have some, as well. So next hour, CNN Eatocracy Editor Cat Kensman (ph) will join me live with what waiters and waitresses think about tipping, how much you should leave, what they expect. We'll talk about that.

In the meantime, let's talk about this. This week's CNN hero is offering the sick a wing and a prayer and a tank of gas, as a matter of fact. Time to meet Houston's Kathy Broussard.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATHY BROUSSARD, COMMUNITY CRUSADER: My name is Kathy Broussard. I started the Houston Ground Angels, and we provide free air transportation and free ground transportation for medical patients coming in and out of Houston area.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They had nothing like this down where I live. I would have died a long time ago.

BROUSSARD: There's probably about 300 people volunteering their car, their gas, time. The volunteers, some of them have had cancer.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When I see them, they give me hope. They'll tell me, "Cathy (ph), stay alive. Stay there with us, fight it." And I've been doing it.

BROUSSARD: God has bypassed me in cancer. And if I could help somebody -- and I'm sorry for crying -- but if I can help somebody make their life a little better, then that's what it's all about. It's not about me.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Kathy Broussard, you are a hero.

Now is the time for you to nominate someone you think is changing the world and deserves to be a CNN hero. Make sure you log on to CNN heroes.com and tell us about the person you admire.

A spy story plays out like a James Bond movie. So how did it end? We'll have the latest for you.

And what kind of damage is being caused by that oil in the Gulf of Mexico? Where diving beneath the surface and we're bringing it to you live. Our crews are getting in place now. We're going to go into the water, we're going to talk to them live. And we your questions, your responses. We're going to pose them to our correspondent and also to Philippe Cousteau, who is a diver helping out here. So make sure you join us in social media. Send us your comments and stay tuned.

Back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: A trade on the tarmac -- our spies for their spies, a swap is now officially complete. Ten Russian agents expelled from the U.S. are reported back in Moscow now. They were traded for four Russians who had been in prison for spying for the U.S.

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

CNN's Susan Candiotti reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PROF. MARK GALEOTTI, GLOBAL AFFAIRS, NYU: It's the Russians admitting for the time that these were indeed their own spies.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Each of the ten pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy for not registering as a foreign agent. Each agreed never to return to America without permission. And if they sell their stories, proceeds must be turned over to the United States. And several were forced to surrender cash, homes and cars as part of their plea deal.

As for popular red-haired dazzler Anna Chapman, who may be the only spy with her own Facebook page, her attorney says the harsh conditions she faced in jail had a lot to do with her guilty plea.

ROBERT BAUM, ANNA CHAPMAN'S ATTORNEY: She never met personally with any official of the Russian Federation. She never passed information. She never received any money. It is not alleged that she engaged in any crime of money laundering.

She is glad to be released from jail, but she is unhappy that it probably has destroyed her business and that she has to return to Moscow.

CANDIOTTI: Meantime, Russian President Dmitri Medvedev has pardoned four men convicted and jailed for allegedly spying for the U.S. They're part of an arranged swap to make the case go away.

GALEOTTI: What it shows both Moscow and Washington want to try and deal with this as quickly as possible so they can move on with improving relations.

(END VIDEOTAPE)