Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
BP to Replace Cap on Oil Leak; Six Americans Die in Separate Attacks in Afghanistan; Bush Tax Cuts Set to Expire; New Rules to Go Into Effect For Veterans Claiming PTSD
Aired July 10, 2010 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: The so-called Bush tax cut set to expire this year. And if you think that only affects it ultra wealthy, think again. We'll tell you how it impacts you.
Mel Gibson reportedly caught in a racist ramp against his ex- girlfriend. You can hear it yourself at 3:00 eastern time.
And then a troubling new trend apparently inspired by popular vampire shows -- teens biting each other. You are in the CNN Newsroom where the news unfolds live this Saturday, July 10th. I'm Fredericka Whitfield.
A look at our top story -- day 82 of the oil disaster. And right now, take a look at this live underwater picture of the spewing well head. Anytime now BP is expected to begin removing the containment cap on the well so they can actually replace it with a tighter cap that could cut off nearly all of that spewing oil.
It's a very complicated process. It will be several days at the very least before the new cap is actually in place according to BP. Earlier on CNN Kate Bolduan asked marine biologist Richard Charter about this latest endeavor.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHARD CHARTER, MARINE BIOLOGIST: This particular device they are going to install, I understand, is called top hat number ten. Not that it's the tenth thing they have tried, but they have tried quite a few things. This is a ceiling cap that will replace the existing cap.
And the existing cap, as we know. can recover about 23,000 barrel as day. The new cap would increase that to 50,000 barrels a day, they hope.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: So, before you get too excited, experts warn the only real solution to stop the gushing rig is the relief wells that are still being drilled.
Well, on to Afghanistan now. A total of six U.S. service members were killed today in eastern areas of the country. CNN has more from Kabul, Afghanistan.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ATIA ABAWI, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Six ISAF service members were killed in Afghanistan Saturday, all confirmed to be American. Two were killed in the south of the country in two separate IED attacks, improvised explosive devices that have proven to be the number one killer of NATO service members in Afghanistan.
The other four were killed in eastern Afghanistan in separate instances. One by IED attack, one by an insurgent attack, and one by small arms and one by an accidental explosion.
This follows the deadliest month for NATO since the war began. In June, we saw 101 NATO service members lose their lives in Afghanistan. This was not expected. When Barack Obama announced a surge strategy, the then top NATO commander of ISAF forces here said that it would result in more casualties at first while trying to protect civilian lives and trying to regain the trust of the afghan people.
As they gain ground and gain the momentum back in Afghanistan, those deaths would fall. Now, we are seeing what was grimly predicted last year.
Atia Abawi, CNN, Kabul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: A major change at the VA could mean more help for veterans dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder. This morning, President Obama said the change would be announced Monday that it would be easier for them to get benefits.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't think our troops on the battlefield should have to keep notes to apply for a claim. And I have met enough veterans to know that you don't have to engage in a fire fight to have trauma in war.
So we're changing the way things are done. On Monday, the Department of Veteran Affairs will begin making it easier for veterans with PTSD to get the benefits they need. This is a long, overdue step to help veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, but generations of their brave predecessors who proudly served and sacrificed in all our wars.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: These new rules would make it easier for veterans to get help by easing documentation requirements. We are not just talking Iraq and Afghanistan here, either. This is for all veterans.
Joining me live to talk about this change is CNN radio health correspondent Lisa Desjardins. Lisa, who and what are the circumstances this might affect? LISA DESJARDINS, CNN RADIO CAPITOL HILL CORRESPONDENT: Fred, this applies to veterans from every time period, World War II, Korea, Iraq, and Afghanistan. We're talking about millions of people.
In the United States, let's look at some numbers. The population overall, according to the Department of Public Affairs, has about seven percent to eight percent of people will experience PTSD. That's the U.S. population overall. In the military, the VA says the figure is more like 10 percent to 30 percent.
If you look at the overall veteran population, that means more than two million, maybe as many as nearly seven million American veterans have PTSD.
WHITFIELD: How does this make it easier for vets? They say I worked in this war. I was on duty. That's, in part, all it would take to get the help they need as opposed to proving it by other means, as they once did?
DESJARDINS: This is a sea change in how the military approaches the issue. To break it down, you are on the right track. The process requires right now that veterans have to submit documentation proving a specific event happened to them that could have caused PTSD.
But, what's going to start Monday, the change, the VA says veterans will only have to prove they served in a warzone and they were in a job that exposed them to those kind of events. So yes, Fred, it's a massive difference in the red tape.
WHITFIELD: Is there anyone saying they don't like this, even though it starts on Monday?
DESJARDINS: They say it's a big victory for veterans. But there are a few problems, mainly in how PTSD is diagnosed. They say that under these guidelines only the Veterans Affairs Department and its staff will diagnose PTSD. They would like it so private practitioners could also meet certain standards and diagnose.
This is a bigger problem. They say right now, the VA does not have any overall standards, no any unified standard they apply. They think it's too subjective. When you come in, depending on who you meet, maybe you'll qualify, maybe you won't based on what that person thinks, versus applying unified standards, which the VA has standards, but which veterans say they don't apply.
WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much. Appreciate that.
DESJARDINS: Sure thing.
WHITFIELD: We are not done talking about this topic. Next hour, we'll talk with Paul Sullivan. His organization, Veterans for Common Sense, has actually been pushing for this kind of change for a decade. We'll find out from him if he feels like it goes far enough.
More oil is coming ashore. A Gulf coast mayor said if it got into the marshes in his town, it would mean game over. Well, it actually happened.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Day 82, and we are almost three months now into the Gulf oil crisis. Much of the oil spewing out of BP's well made its way to beaches and marshes all along the gulf.
And CNN's Ines Ferre is in Waveland, Mississippi right now. Ines, at one point the mayor there said if oil gets into the marshes there, it's game over. And apparently, the oil is now in the marshes.
INES FERRE, CNN EN ESPANOL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fred. We asked him about this yesterday. He said this is definitely a wakeup call. They were warning about this for a couple weeks.
This is an inlet where the water is coming in that goes right into the marshes. And you can see they have a boom that closed it off. Two days ago, they had high seas, high winds, and the water was over topped across this road over here and it went right into the marshes.
You can see the line where the oil reached the grass up there on that line. So, that's where the oil reached. This is why the mayor of Waveland is so conserved about this. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR TOMMY LONGO, WAVELAND, MISSISSIPPI: The concern and the thing that's so devastating is that we have oil in our marshes. This is a very fragile. This is a saltwater, freshwater ecosystem that meets. It's very fragile, and it's not very common.
To get oil into the marshes, which is something we weren't planning to have to battle. We were told it's going to be aggressively outside the barrier islands. That means it wouldn't have come close this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FERRE: Fred, since this happened, these booms were placed here, the mayor saying they are not doing that much. The water is coming in quickly.
Also, they have silt barriers. This is in case the water comes through again. He says they are not that great because the water couldn't go underneath. By the way, we just saw a worker go by tightening these up.
One of the concerns is they have been warning about this. A lot of this is reactive rather than proactive. He would have rather had precautionary measures taken place before this happened. Fred?
WHITFIELD: When he says game over, clearly people start thinking about the marine life, the wildlife there. Is that what he meant, because while we are seeing the booms there, some residual material there in the marshland area, what does it mean, how has it impacted people or animals?
FERRE: He says look, this is where the shrimp come to lay eggs, crabs lay their eggs. Yesterday we saw crab along here. This area was cleaned up a little bit from yesterday. that's a concern because you can't wipe this stuff off. It's not like you can get in there. It's a delicate infrastructure there. It's difficult to clean up. Fred?
WHITFIELD: Thanks so much in Waveland, Mississippi.
Now, take a look at this. It's a vantage point of the spill you can only see here on CNN. CNN's Amber Lyon joined marine environmentalist Philippe Cousteau for a dive into the oil and chemical invested Gulf waters.
Take a listen to the underwater discussion.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PHILIPPE COUSTEAU, ENVIRONMENTALIST: What we should be seeing is beautiful crystal clear water down here in the gulf this time of the year. We should not be seeing this thick haze. It's hard to pick up with the camera. You see globs of oil and chemical dispersant and a line of organic material in the water, too.
It should be a lot clearer. On the surface, on the way over, the chemical dispersant mixed on the surface, even here, 50 miles or so from the deep water horizon rig, it's just coming down and collecting, and that's concerning.
The last time we were in an oil spill, we didn't know the science, and it hadn't been conducted to prove there was a water chemical oil mixture descending through the water column. Now we've done the science and we know it's true for a list of reasons. This is toxic, it depletes the oxygen in the water column, et cetera.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: The view from below the surface there. But because the water is filled with toxins the oil and chemical used to break up the oil, the divers had to wear special hazmat suits. Next hour, we will actually talk to the safety expert who helps us prepare for this dive.
The so-called Bush tax cuts, you have heard of them every now and then. They could be done by the end of the year. Find out what that could actually mean for you and your tax bill.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, a look at the top stories right now.
A former California transit cop convicted of killing an unarmed man is apologizing for the shooting. In a letter dated four days before he was convicted, Johannes Mehserle says he's truly sorry for killing Oscar grant. Grant's family wanted a murder conviction. Dozens of people took to the streets meantime after the verdict, people pouring out into the streets of Oakland, California protesting the verdict.
Iran's top human rights official said the country is reviewing a verdict is calling for a woman to be stoned to death.
Iranian judges found the woman guilty of adultery back in 2006. Iran's Supreme Court held up the conviction a year later. The case has drawn international attention, and human rights activists are calling for the sentence to be changed.
And Arizona's tough new immigration law will be a focus this weekend in Texas. The nation's largest Latino civil rights, La Raza, is holding its annual meeting in San Antonio and leaders say an economic boycott of Arizona will be discussed along with concerns about unemployment.
OK, so whether you knew it or not, the clock is ticking on the so-called Bush tax cuts. And if Congress doesn't extend them, they will expire at the end of the year. So what does it mean for you? Joining me right now is financial expert Ron Hart. Ron, good to see you.
RON HART, MORGAN STANLEY SMITH BARNEY: Good to see you.
WHITFIELD: A couple things, a couple scenarios that is could transpire. If you are a family that makes more than $250,000, it means certain itemizations might be going away after this, or maybe you only will enjoy half the credit $1,000 credit for your one child. What else does it means, bye-bye Bush tax cuts?
HART: Taxes are going up for pretty much everybody. On the lower side, a ten percent, 15 percent increase. On the upper end 35 percent to 39.6 percent marginal tax rate, which will be a big boost going back to the Clinton era tax rates.
WHITFIELD: This impacts everyone. This really could be pretty sweeping. It could impact a lot of people.
HART: At a vulnerable time in the economy. Spending is important and the way we are going to come out of the recession. It's an inopportune time. It's what Obama wants to do.
WHITFIELD: What are things you can do to protect yourself, particularly your nest egg, your retirement nest egg?
HART: Right now, you can defer expenses into next year. Try to take as much income in 2010 to the degree you can control it. If you are an LLC, do that. If you have a bonus, do it in 2010, not 2011.
WHITFIELD: A Roth, you have to qualify. You can't make but so much money to enjoy a Roth.
HART: They are lifting the adjusted growth income limits on that. WHITFIELD: Anyone is open to it.
HART: You can convert your IRA to a Roth. Get all the future income and growth tax free.
WHITFIELD: What is this about, locking in a rate, a tax rate for your IRA or Roth? Possible?
HART: Possible. You can pay 35 percent. It's going to probably 39.6 percent. Most importantly, it grows tax free. When you pull your money out, it's not taxable. You pay tax one time and you are done with it.
WHITFIELD: By the time you retire, the last thing you want to do is pay taxes on all you have been saving for so many years.
HART: Another big factor is the estate tax goes from zero to 55 percent this year. Because of the ten-year budgeting cycle, it's an oddity, but it's zero. If you are wealthy and your kids are at your house January 31, sleep with one eye open.
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: What do you do about the conversions and the 401(k). You are happy the way things are going now. Is now a time to fiddle with it?
HART: Each firm adviser has a model. They take your facts and tell you whether it makes sense to convert. You either pay now or later. The presumption is tax rays will go higher. But if you are older and don't have as much time, it doesn't make much sense to you.
For young people, it makes a lot of sense. You have a long time to grow your money. If you are older, close to retirement, 59 or so, you probably need to be careful about doing it. Look at it really hard.
WHITFIELD: Any catches here?
HART: Jut paying taxes. You have until October 15 to convert back. You can change and come back if you see you don't want to do it. But you are trying to guess what the government is going to do. It's hard to do.
WHITFIELD: Speaking on what the government may do, there's a likelihood or maybe I should say there's a chance Congress would say we are going to extend these and not allow it to expire.
HART: That doesn't look likely now. They may do it in the 10 or 15 percent lower bracket. The truth is one percent of America pays 40 percent of the taxes, so all the money comes from the top end as well. Almost half the Americans don't pay taxes at their level.
The burden has been on the higher income taxpayers. And the 35 percent to 39.6 percent, the most damaging thing I think to the stock market potentially is dividends are going to be taxed from 15 percent to 39.6 percent. It's a pretty major move. You have to think about it and pay more taxes on it.
As people look to invest in America and grow the stock market, they are going to think about things like that. Taxes matter -- LeBron. I think he chose Miami because zero.
WHITFIELD: No state taxes.
HART: $100 million -- He makes $100 million. In New York City he paid $13 million taxes. In Miami, he pays zero.
WHITFIELD: I remember seeing that in his interview. I understand every franchise is a business.
HART: It matters.
WHITFIELD: Thanks so much. Good to see you. Excellent.
HART: Good to see you.
WHITFIELD: A Texas woman desperate for a job is getting creative. She's offering a $1,000 reward for anyone that helps her land a gig. She says $500 of it is money she's actually saved. The other $500 is from a friend. The unemployed financial analyst has been looking for work for 15 months.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's based on if I get a job over. And I figure, the worst case scenario, I'll give them my first paycheck, literally. It's better than going another year like this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: She's figured it out.
According to the bureau of labor statistics, finding work is tougher for older Americans like her, who is 51. Unemployed workers in their 50s are out of their work for, get this number, 44 months. It's very unfair.
So, here is a question for you. Will Arizona's tough immigration law take effect this month as scheduled? Not if one of the state's finest gets their way. We'll explain after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Arizona Governor Jan Brewer is in Boston far meeting of U.S. governors, but she could get a less than friendly welcome while there. Hundreds of people protesting Arizona's new immigration law were expected to actually greet her.
The law allows police investigating a crime to question people, and we're talking about Arizona now, about their residency status if there is reason to suspect someone is in the country illegally.
The federal government is suing Arizona over that law, which is expected to take effect in a couple weeks. That's not the only lawsuit out there. An Arizona police officer, dedicated to upholding the law, is also taking on the new statute.
CNN's Sandra Endo has this story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SANDRA ENDO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: For Tucson police officer Martin Escobar, it's personal.
OFFICER MARTIN ESCOBAR, TUCSON, ARIZONA POLICE: In grade school, I was stopped by border patrol and asked if I was here legally. I said yes, I'm here. I was asked for identification. I don't have any identification. I was a kid at that time.
ENDO: Escobar legally immigrated to Arizona from Mexico when he was five years old. He was the first in Arizona to file suit over the state's recently passed immigration law, which he says would promote the racial profiling he says he's faced before.
Now it's for a judge to decide whether his lawsuit and six others filed against the state will make a difference, including the most recent one filed by the federal government.
(on camera): And now, with the department of justice filing suit, what do you think of your chances of the law taking effect?
ESCOBAR: I'm so happy. I was hoping they would step in.
ENDO: Tucson is 60 miles north of the border. On the federal level, Justice Department's argues immigration policy should not be set by each state.
(voice-over): In Tuesday's filing, Attorney General Eric Holder said seeking to address the issue through a patch work of state laws will only create the problems than it solves. But Arizona officials claim the federal government isn't doing enough.
Mr. Escobar, a 15-year police veteran, agrees with the federal suit, which also claims Arizona's law would tap already resources from local law enforcement.
ESCOBAR: Now having to enforce federal immigration law, it's going to cut back our resources where we can't do this.
ENDO: Now, he's finding himself in a tough position, doing online training for the new law about to take effect in a few weeks while waiting for his day in court to fight it.
(on camera): What are you hoping to see come July 19th?
ESCOBAR: I hope they stop the law and the injunction goes through and the law doesn't go into effect.
ENDO (voice-over): Sandra Endo, CNN, Tucson, Arizona.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Action hero, icon, queen of blaxplotation films, Pam Grier has been called them all. And now she can add this title to her resume -- author. Grier's documents her life, love, and unforgettable movie roles.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: How about if I have you read a part about what blaxploitation was all about? You talk about the plot.
PAM GRIER, ACTRESS/AUTHOR: You mean when I step in the room and you hear waka, waka.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Face-to-face with Pam Grier straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: A look at the top stories now. Six U.S. troops have died in Afghanistan according to NATO. One was by an accidental explosion, two in bombs in eastern Afghanistan, and two others in bombings in the southern part of that country. Last month was the bloodiest in Air Force month for U.S. NATO forces. More than 100 died.
President Obama wants veterans in this country to know he's concerned about their mental health. The president announced new rules aimed at helping vets with post-traumatic stress disorder. Starting Monday, the change should be easier for bets to get benefits and counseling.
And BP hopes to replace the containment cap over the gushing oil well with a new one that can collect most if not all of the oil. The new cap won't be a permanent fix, but BP says it will take several days to put it into place. Until then, oil will flow unimpeded into the Gulf of Mexico.
So, it's not often you have a face-to-face with a true icon of the '70s. I got a chance to sit down with the first female action hero blaxplotation films, Pam Grier. She's probably best known for the role of Foxy Brown back in 1974, but her career spans four decades.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Pam Grier, "Foxy, My Life in Three Acts." Three acts, but there seems to be this continuum that really says you have been a survivor from the beginning.
GRIER: They will see that. I can share my intimacies and they will learn I can give them that great gift of life. And being a cancer survivor, tomorrow, it's not guaranteed. It's a gift that I'm here. You will read about intense pain and struggle and abandonment.
WHITFIELD: People look at Pam Grier and think Foxy Brown.
GRIER: OK. Thanks. They think of coffee. And they think they know Pam Grier. They think those characters are you. This strong woman, take no prisoners. I'm not going to take anything from anyone.
Little do they know the pain that you experienced. You mentioned your childhood, at the early age of six as a rape victim. It's repeated, again, when you are 18.
GRIER: What I realize is that even -- there was the first event, the molestation rape and the second. The third one was the one where I fought, and I could trigger something in this man that he could take my life.
I had an instinct for survival. And throughout these instances, the third time changed me into this I'm going to risk my life to save my life. Now, I have already suffered pain.
I have already been there. And it was not easy or effortless to portray those characters in the films, again. But, I had already suffered the pain, so it wouldn't be so bad.
WHITFIELD: How did you make it look effortless, because I think people that watched you thought you are that woman, that it is effortless.
GRIER: Not at all. I was frightened under it.
WHITFIELD: The blaxploitation, there were a lot of connotations that came with that. Sometimes it was very liberating, and then there were people who felt very uncomfortable with it.
GRIER: How do we get the people in the seats to see the messages? The movement was miniskirts and burning of bras, Woodstock, nudity, love our bodies, free love, love, love, love, body and love. That was one of the messages.
Then we had the Black Panther message, which was empowering to learn to fish for yourself. They didn't want affirmative action. They didn't want to be given to -- another message.
Then you had several films before mine. There were sports figures, quite a few were done. They weren't called blaxploitation until a woman steps into the men's shoes and posturing like a man.
WHITFIELD: Did you feel comfortable with it?
GRIER: I said let's dialogue and talk.
WHITFIELD: How about if I have you read a portion of what blaxploitation was all about. You talk about, you know, the plot, kind of what black exploitation.
GRIER: When I walk in the room and they say waka, waka and you knew it was me.
WHITFIELD: Here she is.
GRIER: The black characters were wildly colorful hood guard and the plots also resembled old Warner Brothers melodramas with MGM fashion glamour with the street in. Angry and less conflicted than the male counterpart to destroy a white based power structure that had caused pain and harm to herself and her family.
WHITFIELD: So then why did being in that for you feel good? Feel powerful?
GRIER: It didn't feel good. It made people feel uncomfortable. If you show the problem as opposed to ignore it and keep it under the rug, then you can heal. You can say, it's time to stop. Look what we are doing. We are in a land of abundance.
The Civil Rights movement -- we should be celebrating all of the things, the rights we won. We are still going through that, the hypocrisy.
WHITFIELD: Do you think people got that message?
GRIER: They did. Oh, no, they got it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Later, iconic actress Pam Grier opens up about the men in her life, Kareem Abdul Jabar, Richard Pryor.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GRIER: He starts spouting out dialogue from Foxy brown and like, oh, yes. Hi, how are you.
WHITFIELD: That would be me.
GRIER: Yes, that's it. He knew the dialogue. You do know this blank, blank, beep.
WHITFIELD: All in affection, of course.
GRIER: Of course.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: All right, face to face with Pam Grier at 3:00 and 4:00 eastern.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Welcome back to the NEWSROOM. I want to show this image here. It's hard to make out but this image of the Gulf of Mexico under the water near where the gushing oil is taking place.
We're showing you this image because just about an hour ago BP executives had a teleconference, and they made the announcement at that point that at any moment they would begin the effort of removing the old containment cap and replacing it with a new one.
It takes quite a bit of time. We are talking thousands of feet below the surface. We had these live cameras below the surface for some time now, and we found it was an image we haven't seen before. We are trying to get in contact with experts to find out what we are seeing.
But this process was going to be underway momentarily and perhaps one of the images we are seeing is part of the effort of removing the old containment cap so a new one could be put in the place. When we make out what these images are, we'll bring them to you with more clarity as soon as we can.
Meantime, let's talk about the 60-year-old woman doing what most 20-year-olds never do. She is swimming for 24 hours straight. She would be that woman there. It is a practice session for a potential record breaking swim next month.
Does she look familiar to you? Diana Nyad's marathon swim is about to be underway. She's a world class swimmer of many, many years. There's her decent on this training mission. She will, in the end, swim something like 150 miles in what could be shark infested waters, waters infested with a lot of jellyfish.
And she is doing it without a shark cage, by the way. We'll continue to watch the progress of her training session.
First, let's talk about soccer and the fans around the globe watching the World Cup. It's all coming to a giant conclusion this weekend. Folks have not seen anything like this before. I'm not talking about World Cup, I'm talking about this, robo-soccer in Singapore. An unlikely group of players competed for world soccer titles of a different kind. That is the subject of today's "Edge of Discovery."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ever want to bend it like Beckham? How about R2D2? A team played in a championship match in Singapore.
STEFAN ZICKLER, CARNEGIE MELLON GRADUATE: People ask why robots challenge and go to the fundamentals. It's a friendly competition that drives research forward.
FEYERICK: How did they play soccer? The students built the robots from scratch and create the software to make them think. The robots see from two cameras above the field. These images see into an external computer. They can deliver a flat kick and even a chip kick.
ZICKLER: You have to predict the physics of the world. There's a lot of uncertainty. You don't know what your opponent is going to do. FEYERICK: These robots have cameras and computers inside their head and use a wireless system to communicate. The goal is to create a team of robots to beat a human team by the year 2050.
SOMCHAYA LIEMHETCHARAT, CARNEGIE MELLON STUDENT: Robots are going to be important over the next decade.
Deborah Feyerick, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Of course it's championship weekend in South Africa. The World Cup final between Spain and the Netherlands kicks off tomorrow. They are playing for third place right now, Germany versus Uruguay.
Isha Sesay is live in Johannesburg, South Africa. Bring us up to date.
ISHA SESAY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that match is underway right now, and there has already been an early goal. It's gone to way of Germany. Germany leading in the match a goal to nil. This is a match some call a glorified friendly, but the managers say they will pursue the match and give it their all to give a good performance on the night.
It's worth saying these two sides met at exactly the same point back in 1970. On that occasion Germany were the winnings, one-nil. Another headline is that Germany's most prolific scorer, Klose, who is in the running to break the record for all time goal scoring here in the World Cup is not playing tonight. He has not made the starting lineup.
He had a bad back and now reportedly of the flu. This could be his final international appearance as he's 32. So no Klose in the starting lineup, but Germany leading this game a goal to nil right now, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: That's so sad to come this far all the way through what has been, what, three weeks of, you know, grueling fight for every goal. Issa sesay, thanks so much. I know you are going to be joining us tomorrow, right, for the finale?
SESAY: Yes.
WHITFIELD: See you then.
SESAY: Absolutely, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Let's give you a live picture of what's taking place in the Gulf of Mexico. We are awaiting clarity on the images we are seeing. For nearly three months you have seen the images of gushing oil at that BO site where the oil has been gushing for over 80 days. We understand that earlier today, BP said they are going to begin the process of removing the old containment cap. We see the images here with the robotics in play. We are reaching out to a number of experts to give a play-by-play of what's taking place. We want to show you the latest images. We'll be back with more in the news room after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Welcome back. Remember how just a moment ago we showed you some images of underwater in the Gulf of Mexico? Confirmation from BP that the images we have been seeing in the last few minutes is the old containment cap being removed, which means a lot more oil continues to gush until they are able to proceed with the process of a new containment cap on. But, it is indeed underway.
BP during a teleconference less than an hour ago said this process would be underway and indeed, it is. The old cap has been taken off to make room for a new cap to replace it. We'll keep you posted on that.
Meantime, let's take a break and talk about the stories around the water cooler today.
Setting high goals and achieving them at any age, Michigan resident John Large knows exactly what that's like. He's got a great name, right? He's an accomplished pole-vaulter at the tender age of 62. Go -- cleared it, almost.
He competed in the sport when he was in high school back in the '60s. He still loves the sport to he continues to do it. He stopped vaulting to serve in the Vietnam War and then to pursue a career as musician.
He's doing it again with a passion. He competes in his age group. He's so serious about practicing, he has a pole vault pit right there in his front yard.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN LARGE, 62-YEAR-OLD POLE-VAULTER: I just love it. I love it. It's adrenaline, too. It's a great adrenaline rush. It's like being 16, again. That's really why I do it. It keeps you young. I'm going to do it until I can't do it anymore.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: He's amazing. Large is also a volunteer assistant track coach at two local schools. So his athletic students love him because he's living it.
From land to sea, marathon swimmer Diane Nyad is testing her talents once again in the water. She's on a 24-hour swim off the coast of Florida now. It's a practice swim for a potentially record breaking swim between Cuba and Key West come August. And did we mention that she is 60 years old? CNN producer Matt Sloane is getting access to today's swim. There he is on the boat in the middle of the water. He's off the coast of Key West now. He's joining us via broad band.
So how is the swim practice coming along? You are still dry and you have not gotten in the water.
MATT SLOANE, CNN PRODUCER: I am still dry. I have not got in the water. Swim practice is going well. We do have a photographer here with us who is going to get in the water. We have an underwater cam here that you can see, a tiny camera that Rick Blackburn is going to jump in the water with in a few minutes.
It's going well. She's been in the water 6.5 hours now. We have about 17.5 left. We're about 27 miles west of key west. She's chugging along now and she's getting a bite to eat.
WHITFIELD: That's cool. We are looking at images now. She's putting on sunscreen now. We know in terms of protection, because you need it in the waters there, she's chosen not to have a shark cage around her. So instead, what is she going to do to protect herself from those critters that can sometimes be unpredictable?
SLOANE: Well, Fred, you are looking at the kayaker over there. I believe that's Alex. He's got a device which is an electronic device that will keep sharks from about 15 meters from her. It's been tested repeatedly, but if I was in the water I would want a cage. She wants to do it without the cage.
We also have a diver on standby ready to jump in just in case we see one coming.
WHITFIELD: Very Cool. Extraordinary steps. She'll be practicing for awhile before the big swim when she will attempt to break the record come next month. Matt Sloane, thanks so much, off the coast of Key West there.
