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Book: Baby Boomers Contemplate Suicide So No Burden; Swimmer, 60, Preps for Swimming Goal; S.C. Senate Candidate Alvin Greene Cleared in One Investigation; Oil Gushing Freely from BP Well; Rule Changes for Post Traumatic Stress Sufferers; Antibody for HIV Discovered

Aired July 10, 2010 - 17:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. This hour, a major step forward in the fight against HIV at least, that's what researchers are saying. We talked to people on the front lines of this battle about why a new development is being called proof that a vaccine is possible. We also shed light on a dark secret among baby boomers, many of them confess, they would rather kill themselves than grow old and become a burden to their children. What's going on? I'll speak with a psychiatrist who has written about this troubling trend.

And ponder this one, will you? An octopus, the World Cup and a psychic prediction. Sounds like a bad joke, right? But soccer fans aren't laughing. It's serious business.

We start of course in the gulf. Breaking news on day 82 of the gulf oil disaster, BP's broken well is again freely gushing crude oil and it will stay that way for the next four to seven days. Just a short time ago, the company confirmed it removed the containment cap that had been sitting on top of for the past few weeks. BP plans to install a new and improved containment cap, one designed to capture all of the spewing oil but first, the top portion of the blowout preventer must be unbolted and it has to be removed and that could take at least a day, at least a day, maybe longer, in the meantime up to 60,000 barrels of oil flow from the well each and every day.

We want to go to now to CNN Producer Vivian Kuo, she joins us now by phone to explain this whole process. Hey, Vivian, thanks for joining us. If I have this correctly, if I understand this right, BP is taking a step backwards in order to move forward?

VIVIAN KUO, CNN PRODUCER (by phone): Hi, Don. That's exactly right in some regards. As you've said, they've taken off the current existing Elmer p (ph) containment cap, until you see that tremendous rush of oil coming out. Now, they still are collecting approximately 8,000 to 9,000 barrels per day through one of the valves on the blowout preventer to go to one of the vessels. But, yes, it's kind a dramatic picture that you were seeing right now, this oil gushing from the top. Now, you can see the ROVs doing their job, they're unbolting the flange and again this unbolting activity is going to take us into tomorrow, from start to finish here, it's going to take BP approximately four to seven days to complete this process, get the new permanent seal on and then we really will see some wrapping up of containment activity from there.

LEMON: OK, listen. Hey, Vivian, we you go into little bit more specifics about this because I'm understanding it is a three-step process, remove the old containment cap, remove the top of the blowout preventer and install the new containment cap. So, the time frame is what exactly for that for all of this to be done?

KUO: Again, it's approximately four to seven days. Now, this is all contingent on a weather window. Earlier today, Senior Vice President Ken Wells said, they're taking advantage of a particularly good weather window that we're in right now and you remember a couple last week and a week before, it was hurricane Alex and a low pressure system that caused some problems for activity in the well site area. Well, with the sea state being relatively calm, they'll able to proceed and they're going to maximizing their efforts right now.

LEMON: All right. Vivian, thank you, very good explanation, hopefully our viewers understood that. I did and we appreciate you providing some perspective on this, and those were live pictures we're looking at the gushing, gushing well under the Gulf of Mexico there.

You know, a lot more oil is going to escape into the Gulf of Mexico before this is all over and CNN's Ines Ferre joins from us now from Waveland, Mississippi on the Gulf Coast. Thank you for joining us. Local officials were worried that the oil would get into the marsh. They must be pretty upset now that it has actually gotten there.

INES FERRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, because it actually has reached this area. And let me show you how it reached this area. Right across the street, you'll notice that there's an inlet right there, that's where the water comes in and out of the marshes. And you'll see that boom is closing off that inlet. But what happened was a couple of days ago, they had high waters, high winds. The water literally over top across the street and right into this marsh area and you can see that line where the water reached the grass on that brown line across the grass, and this area is just so important, the mayor of Waveland telling us that, look, this is where you've got shrimp, crab, where they laid their eggs, you can see, show you a little close-up of some of the little critters down there, that they're just -- this is a delicate area. It's very delicate to even try and clean this area. You can't step on it because it will be even worse and they had been warning about this. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR THOMAS LONGO, WAVELAND, MISSISSIPPI: We've raised the red flag when the southeast wind was blowing and high tide was coming, we raised the red flag and we said, hey, this is what's going to happen, you know, this is what we've been telling you, the berms, we wanted to put on the north side of the beach, where now you see the silt fencing that went up yesterday, after the fact. It's been a response rather than the aggressive fight to stop it. It's been a response after the damage is done, and that's what makes you angry. That's what's frustrating.

(END VIDEO CLIP) FERRE: And Mayor Longo is also saying that when they put in their request, that has to go through a whole chain of commands from back down, it's going to go through different agencies, so sometimes they're left wondering, will we get what we need here? And they have been warning about this, they just want things to be more proactive rather than putting things in after the fact -- Don.

LEMON: Ines Ferre with a view from the ground. Thank you very much for that.

Meantime, we want to go overseas now. It has been a deadly day for U.S. troops and coalition forces in Afghanistan. Six U.S. service members are among nine people killed today in several incidents. Two U.S. troops died in bombings in Southern Afghanistan, two more were killed in bomb attacks in the eastern part of the country. One died in small arms fire and another died in an accidental explosion. Today's news follows a deadly trend, June was the deadliest month for international and American forces in Afghanistan, sadly. And straight ahead here on CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't think our troops on the battlefield should have to keep notes just in case they need to apply for a claim.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Taking care of our wounded warriors, President Barack Obama announces changes to ensure our men and women in uniform get the care they need once they are home.

Also, a CNN exclusive, we're diving under the oil in the Gulf of Mexico to show you what the disaster is doing to marine life. It is extraordinary. You want to look at this video. You want to see the story coming up.

And don't just sit there. We seriously want you to be part of the conversation, part of the show. So, you can follow us on Twitter, you can send me a message on Twitter, you can send me one on Facebook, and also check out my blog at cnn.com/don and also look for me on Foursquare, too, you can check in with us on Foursquare. It's Don Lemon on Foursquare.

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LEMON: CNN's mission has been to give you every angle, every story that comes out of the oil disaster in the gulf and tonight, we're showing you perspective no one else can provide, what it looks like under the oil, under the oily slicks, you can see by air.

CNN's Amber Lyon joined Marine Environmentalist Philippe Cousteau as they dove into the gulf waters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) AMBER LYON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're about 48 miles away from the deepwater horizon spill and if you look in the water, you can see it's cloudy right now. All these little pieces in front of us, it just looks like almost like you shook a tree or some kind of little branch. There's just little particles here all across the water.

PHILIPPE COUSTEAU, MARINE ENVIRONMENTALIST: That's what's so concerning about this. Because the oil isn't going to the surface. It is distributing throughout the water column and it's springtime, this critical time of year when fish and other organisms are breeding, and laying eggs into the water and it's floating through. It's deadly toxin. What we're seeing here even though it's not the big thick oil, this is still a big, big problem.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: CNN's Amber Lyon joins us now live from New Orleans, Amber, thank you. Very dangerous there, not only the chemicals, you don't know what's in the water but I understand you were swimming with sharks. But what was the most surprising thing you and Philippe saw there?

LYON: I think to both of us, Don, is the most surprising thing was actually before we got into the water when we were on the boat. Because normally, I'm an avid scuba diver, so is Philippe. When you dive in the Gulf of Mexico, you're on a hot boat for several hours getting out there, you just want to jump in that water, you feel so refreshing. Well, in this case, just looking at the frothy mess of dispersed oil laying on top of the water, you just had a feeling of almost disgust when you were entering it, and that's really what stuck out to us the most. In addition to that, it was all the little tiny droplets of oil just floating there in the water column. We went about, I'd say about 25 feet down into the water, you can just look up above you and you could see a film of dispersed oil and as Philippe says, that's very concerning to him as an environmentalist. Because, he says, the dispersed oil, just oil in general is toxic to fish eggs and larvae.

LEMON: Yes.

LYON: And a quantity of about one part per billion, Don and that equals about one drop of oil in a swimming pool and we were seeing millions of them right in front of our faces -- Don.

LEMON: And no one knows exactly what this is doing to the Gulf of Mexico right now, we won't know possibly for weeks, maybe months when they do more testing on the water and when the ecosystem again in year when it sort of regenerate. I have to ask you about this so because it wasn't just a neoprene suit that you wore there. It was a different kind of suit. This was a dangerous and contaminating situation you put yourself in. So, tell us about that suit, what did you and believed have to do to prepare not only with the suit and other things as well?

LYON: Well, Don, we are diving in contaminated waters and we just don't know, like you're saying, the long-term health effects of this, a dispersant crude mixture that's in these waters. So, we were wearing suits that are made of actually, a rubber, it's called a hazmat suit, and it's a dry suit. So, that means, you can enter this water and your skin will stay dry underneath there, no matter how long you stay underneath the water, it also had a rubber seals to keep any type of water from getting in through the arms, you saw, we were wearing gloves and also full face masks and a very annoying I would say, an uncomfortable rubber hoods that we had to put over our faces, they literally just stuck to your face, your mask went over that, so that no oil got onto your skin. Dangerous thing about this, though, we had to train several weeks to use them, because they're dry underneath and they tend to get air bubbles inside of them and if you're not able to get out those air bubbles in time, you can actually ascend to the surface very quickly, which could pop a lung or give you decompression sickness.

LEMON: Yes, well, I think they call it the bends, right? Correct it, you do that if you go...

(CROSSTALK)

LYON: Yes, the bends and that is the scariest thing in diving, more scary to us than even the oil that's in the water.

LEMON: Yes. All right. Amber, hey, listen, great job there. Stand by. Because we'll be coming back to you.

LYON: Thanks, Don.

LEMON: Lots more reporting from Amber down in New Orleans on the gulf, coming up on CNN. Welcome to CNN, by the way, I should say to you. You're doing a great job.

LYON: Thank you very much. Thanks. Yes, this is a great welcoming. A baptism in oil, right?

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: Yes, well, you know, it's good to have you on our team. That's how it works here. Thank you. We'll get back to you.

Something you don't hear every day, a former cop apologizes for shooting a man to death. And a major medical break-through to tell you about, one that's on the horizon, a vaccine for HIV is a step closer to reality. We're talking with two aids activists who are also HIV positive.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: New rules could mean new help for America's military veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. For years, red tape has made it hard for servicemen and women to get the help they need. Now, the process is getting a makeover.

And CNN Lisa Desjardins joins us now from Washington with more. Hello Lisa, you know, this is going to affect millions of veterans and the vets of some wars maybe hit harder by PTSD than others. LISA DESJARDINS, CNN RADIO CAPITOL HILL CORRESPONDENT: Isn't that funny? Experts have found that PTSD rates are two or three times higher, Don, for some conflicts than for others. So, I'll get to which ones are higher in just a second. First, the overall look at the issue, how many veterans suffer from PTSD, right now? Well, according to veterans affairs, it's between ten percent and 30 percent of all veterans who have gotten it at some point, I mean, the sobering number of people between 2.3 and 6.9 million American veterans with PTSD and the rates are highest with one group, Vietnam veterans. Studies say, those are the veterans who see 30 percent or higher rates of PTSD. So, this change making treatment easier is especially huge for them. We spoke with Tom Berger, Vietnam vet and PTSD expert.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM BERGER, VIETNAM VETERANS OF AMERICA: As some of these folks have been trying to find their records or which would allow them to gain access to treatment for 40 years, I mean, it gets pretty frustrating.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DESJARDINS: Here's the thing with PTSD, Don, as you may know. Experts stress that getting treatment early makes a difference, and that's one reason that the rates are so high for Vietnam vets, because so many have never gotten treatment. Berger doesn't want that for the vets of Iraq and Afghanistan.

LEMON: So, then, what do vets do now, then Lisa?

DESJARDINS: Yes. There is the question, huh?

LEMON: Yes.

DESJARDINS: Right now, vets have to prove that they were at a specific event like a gunfight or an explosion in order to get treatment, but they often don't have that paperwork, so I want to show you something, for example, on the veterans affairs, own PTSD website, they say that the process is long and stressful and confusing. Right now, they have to prove -- and there you go, there's a website right there and it's amazing, the veterans' affairs admits themselves that this is a very confusing process. Right now it's confusing. You asked, what's the change? Well, let me tell you, they're going to only have to prove that they were in a war zone and had a job that could have exposed them to trauma.

Very different than having to document a specific incident on a specific day, maybe years ago. Now, they just have to prove they were in a war zone and that they had a job that exposed them to problems. Now, if a vet needs treatment, you think you may need PTSD counseling, you're not sure, call this number. It's 1-800-905-4675, again, 1-800- 905-4675. That's the veterans' affairs hotline. They'll tell you where treatment centers are near you and get things started for you. And of course, Don, after stress, if anyone feels like they may hurt themselves or hurt anyone else, obviously call 911 -- Don.

LEMON: All right. Lisa Desjardins from CNN radio. We appreciate that, we're going to show that number later on in the broadcast because it's very important. Thank you, Lisa.

You know, you can expect more on the story tomorrow on "State of the Union" with Candy Crowley, also on "State of the Union" as well. White House Senior Adviser David Axelrod and New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson on the federal lawsuit against Arizona's immigration law, that's "State of the Union" with Candy Crowley tomorrow morning, 9:00 a.m. Eastern right here on CNN, of course.

Want to check some of your top stories right now, six U.S. service members lost their lives in Afghanistan today. One died in an accidental explosion, one was killed by small arms fire, two died in bombings in Eastern Afghanistan and two others were killed by bombings in the south. This summer has been a bloody one for coalition forces. June was the deadliest month of the war for all NATO and American soldiers.

A former police officer convicted of killing an unarmed man in Oakland has apologized to the public, a light sentence expected for Johannes Mehserle set off riots on Thursday. In a letter dated July 4th, Mehserle says, he'll live forever with the memory of Oscar Grant screaming after he was shot. The jury found him guilty of involuntary manslaughter which carries a usual maximum sentence of four years. Sentencing is set for August the 6th.

Mourners attended a private service today for the two young Hungarian tourists killed in Wednesday's duck boat accident on the Delaware River in Philadelphia. Federal investigators are still trying to learn how a barge could smash into the disabled amphibious boat. The two victims were members of a 15 person youth exchange group. The Hungarian Foreign Ministry is helping the group with their plans to return home.

It's very interesting story that we're going to tell you about right now, the AIDS/HIV community worldwide is riding a wave of hope tonight. That is because a vaccine for the disease is one step closer to a reality. Granted the road to a vaccine remains a long one. Most people will admit to that but a study in the most recent issue of "Science Magazine" shows, scientists have possibly found the basis for a vaccine. Researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, well, they say, they have discovered three human antibodies that work against most strains of HIV. Now, we're going to get reaction to this new -- this news now from two aids activists who are also HIV positive.

We want to bring in Phil Wilson, he's at the Black AIDS Institute. And also, Sherri Lewis, is an AIDS activist. Good to see both of you. How are you guys doing?

PHIL WILSON, BLACK AIDS INSTITUTE: Great.

SHERRI LEWIS, AIDS ACTIVIST: Great, Don, thank you.

LEMON: Especially since this news, right? Sherry, I'm going to start with you. What is your immediate reaction when you heard a vaccine could one day be available? LEWIS: Well, I've been hearing that for a long time. So, I was skeptical at first and then I did some of the reading that's been online, and you know, the fact that this is, you know, going across the board for 91 percent of the strains, which has been the real hurdle, you know, in finding a vaccine, an effective vaccine is that there were so many strains. But 91 percent of that, it's crossing over, it's very, very promising.

LEMON: Yes, that is...

LEWIS: I'm always, I'm cautiously optimistic. I've always been very conservative about medicines and treatments, but 25 years later, I'm glad I've been cautious.

LEMON: Yes, you're right, it does sounds promising. Before we get to Phil, what is the teddy bear for, Sherri?

LEWIS: Oh, this is Dab the AIDS bear. You actually have three guests, he is one of the oldest AIDS activists and you can see, he looks fabulous, he hasn't changed a bit, he's been saving lives and comforting babies with AIDS since the early '80s, raising money and awareness.

LEMON: What is his name again?

LEWIS: Dab the AIDS bear.

LEMON: OK. Well, welcome to him as well.

LEWIS: I didn't wear my red ribbon.

LEMON: He doesn't have a microphone, so we can't talk to him. I want to get Phil on this. Phil, you know, many years of talking about a vaccine, you and I have spoken, I've seen you everywhere, you have been an activist for years and on the front lines with this. What do you think?

WILSON: Well you know, this is fantastic news regard to HIV vaccines. We've not had as good news regarding HIV vaccine development in a long time. Actually, it's 99 percent of the strains of HIV, this combination of antibodies will address. This is a beginning. Now, we're a long way away, but it is very exciting news, as we move forward. Clearly, a vaccine is our best hope to ending the AIDS epidemic and this gives us hope that we'll get there. The question now is that we can develop, now, we know that the body can develop the antibodies. We've been finding antibodies along the way, but they've been few and far between. But now, we know that the body can develop antibodies. The question now is that if we can get you and me and Sherri and all of us to develop these antibodies and then we certainly will be on our way to finding a vaccine.

LEMON: You know what? You bring up a good point because there's so much stigma around HIV and AIDS. So, what about getting this vaccine? Who should get it? What do you think? Do you think there will be a stigma, Phil? WILSON: Well, I think that certainly, we need to do a lot of education but one of the take-home messages is that research is important, and it's important for us to be involved in doing research and particularly, Don, when you look at the demographics of the AIDS epidemic in the U.S., this is a case study on why it's important for everybody but particularly black Americans to get involved in research, you know, the person who they first found this antibody is a black gay man, and so that's further evidence of why we should be engaged and I think, that's one of the steps in dealing with the stigma as well.

LEWIS: And at the same time, knowing that it's an equal opportunity offender.

WILSON: That's right.

LEMON: Yes, it doesn't matter if you're gay or straight, black, white or whatever it is, it really doesn't, you know, the disease doesn't discriminate. But Sherri, hey, listen, I got to move on, I want to ask you about this.

LEWIS: OK.

LEMON: There's been talk around public health administrators, how they should distribute this, some says, should basically require every college student to get it if they want to enroll in school, what do you think of that?

LEWIS: Well, I think that's -- if they want to, they do their research, they gather their information, I'm, you know, like I said, cautiously optimistic but I think it might be a very good idea. You know, the college campuses, which I've spent many years on as an educator, is a petri dish for HIV infections. So, it's not a bad idea. Yes, well, I'm on the campus of UCLA out here, but I've been throughout different campuses on the east coast as well.

LEMON: So, Sherri and Phil, want to get to you a real quickly, and I just have a few, just a little bit left. You know, when you say vaccine, it doesn't mean it's over. So, what about risky behavior, do you think this could lead to that?

WILSON: Well, I think that certainly we have the continued work around prevention but I think your question raises the other part of it, you know, a vaccine is a part of it. But what we really need is a national AIDS strategy and it's exciting that this development is unveiled on the eve of the Obama administration releasing the first ever national AIDS strategy. So, it can't just be a vaccine. We need to talk about prevention. We need to talk about treatment for people living with HIV and we need to continue the work on research.

LEMON: That's going to have to be the last word. Thank you, Phil Wilson. Thank you, Sherri Lewis. And thanks for the bear, the bear is cute. I'm sorry it didn't get in on the conversation. We appreciate it.

WILSON: Thanks, Don. LEMON: Thank you.

Coming up next here on CNN, the baby boomers dilemma, they care for elderly patients, secretly resent them for becoming a drain on their time, emotions and finances. And vowed they'd never put their own children through that ordeal, but is suicide really the option here? A psychiatrist will talk to us about this, he'll talk us through it. It's a timely discussion that you don't want to miss, coming up here on CNN.

And here is the -- we're going to give you that PTSD number in just a little bit. So, stay tune here on CNN. We'll back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DON LEMON, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: I want you to pay attention to the next story because it could affect you, your parents and maybe even your grandparents. For the next few minutes, we'll talk about a taboo subject here, suicide. Many middle-aged baby boomers confess they are thinking about ending their lives when they get old, so they don't become a burden to their children.

Dr. Mark Goulston has written a book about this. He says these suicidal thoughts often come from the experience of taking care of their elderly parents and don't want to put their children through it. So the doctor's latest book is called "Just Listen, the Secret to Getting Through to Absolutely Anyone."

He joins us from Los Angeles.

Thank you. This is a very interesting topic. Let's be clear about this right away, you're not advocating suicide. You simply are pointing out that you're hearing this from your middle-aged patients?

DR. MARK GOULSTON, AUTHOR: Absolutely. When you listen deeply to people, and get past whatever they're saying, and saying what's really going on, what's really going on, it's amazing, after three questions, people will start to talk to you about what they're afraid of and ashamed of. and what I'm hearing from mainly white, middle-class baby boomers is that, who feel burdened by their parents and taking care of them when they're elderly and taking care of them when they were dying, what I hear from many of them is, I'm going to take a bottle of pills before I am a burden on my children. In fact, five minutes before I appeared here, I just got an e-mail, someone saying exactly that, at my blog. And I think what the issue is, it's mainly a white middle-class problem, because third world people, family is everything, and that's just part of what they do. And they're more patient with their aging relatives.

LEMON: Doctor, you talked about it on your blog. I'll read the comment, i have it here. I looked on there and it says -- I'm not sure who it's from. "If I find myself becoming old and feeble, I have already decided I will kill myself. I will not be a burden on someone else."

This comes down to -- medical science, keeping people alive longer than ever before. It comes down to finances, not wanting to be a drain on finances, and emotional as well, and being a burden to the family in general.

GOULSTON: Absolutely. Usually, what's happening is if you're an impatient person, as many people are, and if your aging parent is not aging or dying graciously or gratefully, if they are really are a pain to everyone around them including their caregivers, what happens is you harbor the shameful resentment. You have this feeling, "I wish they were gone already." And it's very difficult to know what to do with that. So often what you feel as they're getting older and as they're dying is you don't want to do that to your own family. But often -- yes?

LEMON: Why is this unique to boomers? Is the next generation, generation X, generation Y, what have you, is that generation going to go through the same thing or a different scenario? I wonder why baby boomers?

GOULSTON: I think baby boomers are an impatient lot. I think the parents of baby boomers were much more patient than baby boomers. And I think the Millennials have no patience. When you mix impatience in your personality with a difficult parent that you resent, what happens is you begin to see you don't want to be a burden to your children, who have even less patience than you have.

LEMON: Gotcha. What's the advice here? Is there a solution?

GOULSTON: I think the advice, first of all, is if you're that difficult person and you're a baby boomer, change. If you're a high maintenance, difficult to please, easy to upset person, change it. Also, if you're addressing that parent who is aging poorly, focus on the positive part of their personality, even if it's only 1 percent or 5 percent, and say to them, you know, going forward, Mom, going forward, Dad, I want to focus on that part of you that everyone likes, and let's build from that so I don't start avoiding you.

LEMON: Doctor, it's easier said than done. It's a tough situation that we have to figure out here.

And we appreciate you coming on CNN. Thank you, sir.

GOULSTON: Thank you.

LEMON: He is one of the most talked about candidates for office for all the wrong reasons. Today, South Carolina Senate Candidate Alvin Greene making news again.

And marathon swimmer training for a record swim. Boy, as hot as it is, that water looks good, doesn't it. We're in the water as a 60- year-old woman -- that's right, a 60-year-old, preps for her long-time goal. We'll check in with her.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: It is time for your top stories. South Carolina, surprise, Democrat Senate Candidate Alvin Greene has cleared one of the legal hurdles he has been facing all this time. State investigators have wrapped up their investigation into how Greene could afford the $10,000 entry fee for the Democratic primary when he had previously told a court he couldn't afford a lawyer. The state decided not to file charges.

When I interviewed Greene, I asked him about the source of the money.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Who paid the $10,000 to -- for your campaign to run?

ALVIN GREENE, (D), SOUTH CAROLINA DEMOCRATIC SENATE CANDIDATE: It was my personal money from the Army.

LEMON: From where?

GREENE: Army.

LEMON: The Army.

GREENE: My personal money that I saved in the Army.

LEMON: Because you're unemployed, right?

GREENE: Yes.

LEMON: That's part of your savings?

GREENE: Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Greene has now retained a private criminal defense attorney to answer charges he showed pornographic images to a college student last year.

Former President Bill Clinton is adding another line to his resume. He will officiate at the wedding of New York Congressman Anthony Weiner and long- time Hillary Clinton aide, Guba Aberdeen (ph). It could be good practice for the Clintons, who are eagerly awaiting Chelsea Clinton's marriage later this month.

Critically ill patients struggling to get the medical care they need or skipping it all together because they couldn't afford the transportation costs. Kathy Broussard saw the need and organized a group of volunteer drivers and pilots in Houston to take care of this problem. She's our "CNN Hero" of the week and this is her story.

(CNN HERO)

LEMON: Kathy and her volunteers completed about 6,000 air and ground missions since 2001. And to nominate someone you think is changing the world, go to CNNheroes.com., CNNheroes.com.

It was a simple gesture that has made a homeless man a hero. He picked up and folded Old Glory after the flag had blown down in a storm. Now many people want to reward him for his unselfish patriotism.

And we told you about the number for PTSD, those are men and women in uniform who want help. That's the number you can call. It's important to get help.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: This next story will make you think again about complaining about your maladies. I have a shoulder injury. Oh, my back or whatever. Pay attention to this because a sport that involves swimming for hours and getting stung by jellyfish isn't for the feint of heart. At the age of 60, 6-0, Diana Nyad is getting ready to swim 100 miles and finish a goal she started 32 years ago. I can't see how an 18-year-old can do this. 100 miles at 60? Dr. Sanjay Gupta has the story of this amazing athlete in today's "Fit Nation" report.

(FIT NATION)

LEMON: I'm kind of old, because I remember that 32 years ago. Wow. Seems like a long time ago. Seems like yesterday. I'm getting old.

Back to Diana Nyad. To prepare for next month's swim from Cuba to the United States, Diana Nyad is doing a 24-hour practice swim off of Key West.

Hey, we have some pictures of her. Tommy says she's off Key West right now. CNN is following this. She's in the water right now. You can see that. And we're going to check in live on how that swim is going. After the break, you'll see this picture and we'll talk much more about this. Go, Diana Nyad! Go, go, go! More after the break!

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: OK, take a look.

Can we look at that live picture now? Is that possible? Do we have it, Diane Nyad out there? OK, it's tape. The tape of her swimming.

We're hearing now that she is 25 miles south of Key West. As we mentioned earlier, that marathon swimmer, Diana Nyad, is in the water now off Key West. 25 miles, we said. She's training for a record- breaking Cuba to Key West swim next month. She is in the middle of a 24-hour practice swim right now.

CNN's Matt Sloan is on a boat with exclusive coverage via broadband for us.

Matt, how far is she into this 24-hour practice swim right now? We understand she's like 25 miles off the coast, but how far is she -- how much longer does she have? And has she experienced any problems?

MATT SLOAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're about ten hours into the swim now, Don.

LEMON: Wow. SLOAN: So we're about 25 miles south of Key West as you mentioned. 14 more hours to go. We're not sure if we're going to make it to land. This is more about practicing for 24 hours, a learning experience in the Gulf Stream. She's doing remarkably well. She's still stroking very well. She's now about half of a nautical mile of the boat here. She has a kayak right next to her and a chase boat and they're providing her nutrition as she goes along and any kind of medical support she needs -- Don?

LEMON: Did you see her, get to talk to her before? Was she in good spirits?

SLOAN: She was in remarkably good spirits. She has this calm focus. If you've ever heard her talk, as you did just now in the piece, she's got remarkable focus and remarkable dissemination of --

LEMON: Yes, even on television, it looks like she has a very calming presence. I would image in person, if it comes across on television, I image she --

SLOAN: Yes, she absolutely does. She's doing this more to prove to other 60-year-olds it's not too late to do what you want to accomplish, to write that novel or swim from Cuba to Key West.

LEMON: This is an accomplishment, even this practice is. Most people couldn't do what she's doing right now.

Here's what I find interesting. I understand she swimming without a shark cage but there's an electric device that wards off sharks. Is there a reason for that?

SLOAN: Yes.

LEMON: I don't see sharks but you would think that people would be in the area watching. What's the reason for this electrical device?

SLOAN: It's fascinating, Don. One, because she's a purist. Because that's how they used to do it in the '70s. And that's how she wants to do it now.

The other thing is she doesn't feel she's truly in the elements if she has a cage around her. She just wants to be out there by herself in the ocean.

The shark device is remarkable. There's a kayaker that's been following her for the last ten hours. I think Stewart (ph) is the kayaker that's out there now. And they'll be out there for the next 14 hours. They stay within just a few feet of her. There's a long antenna that comes from underneath the boat and it keeps the sharks about 15 meters away. There's also a diver on board, so if a shark comes within that perimeter, he'll dive in and try to distract that shark.

LEMON: All right, Matt, good luck to you and most of all, good luck to her. And I say congratulations already.

Matt, thank you very much.

Jacqui, I say congratulations already, because that's quite an accomplishment.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Oh, my god. Oh, yes.

LEMON: I know you're a runner. And you imagine, at our age, the ripe old age of 22 we are.

(LAUGHTER)

JERAS: Yes.

LEMON: I mean, it's tough. It's tough to do it. At 60 years old, 100 miles.

JERAS: I can't imagine. My mom's 60. She's in great physical condition. But I couldn't imagine her or anybody her age doing that. So it's amazing.

LEMON: What's she looking at as far as weather?

JERAS: Really great conditions.

(WEATHER REPORT)

JERAS: Here, we put it on Google Earth just to give you an idea. She's about 25 miles out. The seas outside of this coral reef, about one to two feet, but they're literally calm up by the Keys so it should be smooth going for her.

One other comment, just with this calm weather in the gulf, Don. This is also great news for that new top hat containment. That's why they're able to make some progress this weekend because conditions are so tranquil.

LEMON: I don't know about you, but I am on Team Nyad.

JERAS: Yes. Heck yes.

LEMON: It's amazing. I am on that team.

Thank you, Jacqui. We appreciate it.

Most of us take tap water for granted. For one Texas homeowner, the kitchen faucet could destroy his home.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHEN BROCK, HOMEOWNER: One little spark or something or a good gas pocket can send me sky high. That's my feeling.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: From the tap? If you lived in this house, putting an open flame next to the tap is not a good idea. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: It's Saturday. You know because you're sitting at home and you're watching us. We always try to catch you up on some of the news you may have missed throughout the week and we have some interesting stories to tell you about.

First is an update to a story that is generating a huge amount of interest all over the country. It was a simple unselfish gesture. Middle of the night, during a rain storm, an anonymous man found an American flag that had been blown to the ground in El Paso, Texas. He picked it up and he carefully folded it, military-style. If it weren't for the surveillance video, nobody would know about it. No one would have a clue. A local TV station tracked him down. It turns out he was a homeless man living in a nearby warehouse.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GUSTUS BOZARTH, RESCUED DOWNED U.S. FLAG: It's a small thing of folding the flag like that.

REBECCA OROZCO, METI, INC: It was an amazing experience to see that. It was very heart warming to see that Good Samaritan, who was walking around that area at that time of the day in the rain, will come to the rescue of the U.S. flag.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: A lot of grateful Americans now want to return the favor to Gustus Bozarth for his act of patriotism. Offers of assistance have been coming in, including jobs and food. We'll check back in on him.

You know, water usually puts out the fire, right? So imagine turning on the tap and out comes flammable gas.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BROCK: It totally enveloped the whole sink.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: What did you do?

BROCK: I jumped back and shut the water off. I called the Railroad Commission right away.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: That's not good. Oil and gas drilling is suspected of fouling this water well in rural Texas. The water has been too salty to drink for years. Now natural gas has seeped into the well and gurgles into the house whenever the faucet is turned on. If there's a flame nearby, the gas could pose an explosive danger to the family. One neighbor has already moved because of potential health hazard. I would think so.

You know, how can someone born in America, living the American dream, set out to destroy it? CNN tonight, an "A.C. 360" investigation searches for those answers. "American al Qaeda," make sure you see it tonight, 8:00 p.m. eastern, only here on CNN.

We want to thank you for joining us tonight. Thank you for reaching out to us on Twitter and Facebook and also on four square (ph). We appreciate it.

I'm Don Lemon at the CNN headquarters in Atlanta. See you back here at 7:00 p.m. Eastern. "THE SITUATION ROOM" now.