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BP Still Running Integrity Test on Containment Cap; President Obama and Family Vacationing in Maine; John McCain's New Political Ad
Aired July 17, 2010 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: We've a lot straight ahead, as well. We're just going to inherit the main course, the main course on our plate, of course more of BP and a lot of hope riding on what is happening right now at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico. BP is still running a so-called integrity test on the containment cap, on that ruptured oil well.
So far, monitors and cameras are show no visible signs of any new leaks. The test is supposed to end just hours from now, but BP says it could go even longer if there are few risks and perhaps more to learn.
Oil stopped gushing two days ago after BP recapped the well and while there is cautious optimism, the disaster is still far from over for people who live and work along the Gulf Coast.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLINT GURDY, LOUISIANA SHRIMPERS, ASSN: That's exactly what we don't know, you know, how long is this go to go on. This huge experiment that's been going on in the Gulf of Mexico, nobody knows. And we've had a lot gambled with our future and our culture. You know, it's just like putting a band-aid on a dead man, right now. I'm excited that it stopped, but I mean, the mess is there, you know, the damage is done.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: CNN's Reynolds Wolf is live from New Orleans, right now.
So Reynolds, let's try to look ahead, if we can. What is next as it pertains to BP's actions underwater?
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, what a may be next is a little bit more of the watchful waiting. We're keeping a sharp eye on this containment. The containment, as you mentioned, it was going to be 48 hour testing period, but they may extend that window just a bit.
As you've mentioned, also, so far so good in terms of what we've seen visually, but it's more than just looking at the cap underwater, they do quite a bit more, in fact scientists have been monitoring this with actually seismic equipment to see if there's any kind of shaking in the earth that may indicate a rupture far below the sea floor. At the same time, they're using a series of different types of instrumentation on top of the cap and they're using several submersible robots that continue to move around the cap itself, to look for any sign whatsoever of possible oil escaping from the cap itself. But, again, 48 hours, so we haven't had any escaping, that's quite an accomplishment.
But, what they're going to decide, later on today, possibly, is what they're going to do with the cap itself. Is the cap going remain this place, or are they just going to keep it steady or are they actually going to start siphoning some of the oil to the surface?
Well, one thing they're going to monitor very carefully is something that we call PSI, pounds per square inch, the amount of pressure that oil, as it comes up from the well and hits that containment cap. It's almost like a bottle of champagne that's been shaken up and the carbonation hitting the bottom of the cork. It's basically the same rule that applies here with this well.
And what's interesting, Fredricka, is they want that PSI to be somewhere between its present state of 6,745 or even a bit higher, maybe as high as 8,000 PSI. Anything that show as drop or a significant, really dropping significantly, could indicate that there is a rupture below the sea floor. And if that happens, that could be catastrophic because trying to cap that, to stop that, additionally, could be just a very difficult endeavor, no question.
WHITFIELD: Yeah and then now how does this impact the ongoing effort to get that relief well this play? Might those efforts be interrupted in any way based on what the reading of those PSIs are?
WOLF: it's actually an entirely different effort all together, but I'm glad you wrought that up, that's an excellent point. We do have new information about one of the relief wells is only five feet, five feet away from reaching the line itself, the pipe line.
What's interesting though is once it reaches that point, by the time they have the intersection from the well that goes down where it reaches the source of the oil, it could take several days to several weeks, actually, to stop the flow. But it's going to take at least one or at least two of those relief wells to really be the end game. Regardless of how successful the containment cap or dome may be, it's going to be the wells, that's really going to be the answer to this tremendous problem.
WHITFIELD: All right, Reynolds Wolf, thanks so much from New Orleans. Keep us updated from there. Thanks so much.
All right, President Obama, meantime, escaped the summer heat of Washington this weekend, but no president can actually escape the political heat. White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux is traveling with the president who is vacationing in Bar Harbor, Maine, which used to be the, I guess, vacation spot of choice from 100 years ago, President William Taft.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Now they've got another president. Obviously, it's one of those favorite spots, too, for the rich and famous. I want to show you, the weather is absolutely gorgeous here, Fred.
Behind me, this is Frenchman's Bay. You can see kind of the sandbar, there. That is expected where the first lady could be making a little walk, a little hike along there. People come from around the world for the whale watching, the kayaking, the biking. We've seen the first family really just kind of taking a break. A little bit of a brief respite, here.
We saw them yesterday that when they actually hiked Cadillac Mountain. They went boating along in the harbor, they stopped for ice cream along the way, had a chance to take some pictures with some of the residents, here. Obviously, this is a chance for the president to get away, very briefly.
There are some folks, Fred, who have criticized him, however, some saying they don't believe that he should take the time off, and others who are saying, look, you know, you encourage people to vacation in the Gulf Coast, perhaps could you have chosen something along there to bring the family and to help out with the business.
There was one woman that CNN caught up with recently and here's how she put it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JULIA REED, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, NEWSWEEK: The president needs to vacation wherever he wants to, I want him to get his head straight and have a lot of rest. But I mean, what I'd rather him do is come down here and really instead of just the four very brief trips he's made and really understand what's happening on ground. I mean, the disconnect between Washington and what's happening here is still huge.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: And, Fred, in all fairness, the president is going to be going back to the Gulf Coast, he has talked about that, in the next couple of weeks or so obvious to talk to officials about the latest with the oil spill and to talk to residents to get a sense of how they're doing and how they're coping.
But, that really is kind of a long term effort and the president advisers here also saying, look, that you know, he may be off for a few day, but he certainly is keeping informed. He's kept informed every day about all of the things that he has to deal with that are on his plate. And so, you know, this is really just a chance for him to catch up a little bit with the family, a little down time, clear his head and obviously deal with some of the big problems that he's facing.
WHITFIELD: Yeah, something tells me the president can't get away from the job of being the president no matter where he is. Suzanne Malveaux...
MALVEAUX: Well yeah, absolutely. I want to bring up an interesting point, too, here. One of our colleagues, CBS Mark Knoller, he keeps records of president's trips. One of the interesting things here is 18 months into Obama's presidency, he has taken 65 vacation days. You compare that to President Bush, covered Bush for years, that number, 216 days. So, you know, those numbers just to put it out there give context that, you know, he's working pretty hard.
WHITFIELD: Working around the clock. All right, thanks so much. As are you, Suzanne Malveaux traveling with the president on his vacation, your vacation in Bar Harbor, Maine. Thanks so much.
MALVEAUX: Always working hard, Fred, always working.
WHITFIELD: I know you are. I know you are. All right, thanks so much. Enjoy. Wear that sunscreen, though, better get to much sun over there.
MALVEAUX: Oh yes.
WHITFIELD: OK, just checking.
All right, meantime Senator John McCain well, he's out with a new political ad and it targets President Obama, not his political opponent, McCain's political opponent, in next month's Republican primary. Just take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're sheriffs in Arizona. President Obama has made protecting our border incredibly difficult. But Arizona has a senator with the courage and character to stand up to a president who is wrong -- John McCain. A president versus a senator, doesn't seem like a fair fight, unless that senator is John McCain.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Character matters.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: So, no mention of the opponent, J.D. Hayworth. Join us right now from Washington, CNN deputy political director, Paul Steinhauser.
So, Paul, how is McCain doing overall in this race before we get into analyzing why this ad?
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: He's facing two primary challenges from the right. You mentioned J.D. Hayworth who is a former congressman and a former conservative radio talk show host out there and he's also facing a primary challenge from a guy called Jim Deacon who's a Tea Party activist and both of these gentlemen say that John McCain is not tough enough on immigration, may be one reason for that ad.
You know, McCain at one time was this favor of comprehensive immigration reform, about three years ago, and they say he has flip- flopped on the issue -- Fred. WHITFIELD: Oh, but at the same time, John McCain is not in favor of the Arizona law being pushed by the governor, Jan Brewer, and at the same time John McCain has been critical of the Obama administration and, by the way, the Obama administration is challenging in the courts that very law about to take effect in just days.
STEINHAUSER: Exactly. Just a couple days ago, he endorsed Brewer, who herself is up in next month's primary fighting for full term in office and he endorsed her and defended her at her fight against the federal government, the Justice Department on that lawsuit.
As for the law itself, he has defended the law to a degree and said it is needed because the federal government isn't taking action which kind of brings us back to that ad, Fred, it's like 2008 all over again, John McCain versus Barack Obama, but he's not running for president again, he's just re-election in the Senate. But it shows that the theme of the ad is that sheriffs out there in Arizona support John McCain because he is tough on border security.
WHITFIELD: So, did the McCain camp feel like that ad is what's going to put them over the top to really kind of secure his job, that particularly in the past year it being looked like he was having to fight really hard in order to keep?
STEINHAUSER: Yeah, you know, immigration, illegal immigration, and border security are some of the top issues in Arizona. Of course, the economy very important out there, as well, but immigration, especially since the passage and the signage of that new controversial law has been a top issue out there. And McCain is being hit by both his opponents for not being tough enough.
So that I thinks' one of the reasons why they put this ad out there and why they kind of focused directly on the president, not even on their own opponents. Polls out there, hard to tell, one poll had John McCain way ahead, another had him not ahead of against his opponents -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right, let's east now, let's talk about now what's going on in South Carolina. Very interesting candidate by the name of Alvin Greene, which some are still questioning how did he get to be the Democratic candidate for a U.S. Senate seat, but he'll be having his first major speech as the candidate for a U.S. Senate. Why is there so much interest in Alvin Greene?
STEINHAUSER: Well, you kind of said it right there. He surprised everybody back on June 8 when he won the South Carolina Democratic primary for Senate. It was a race that was kind of overshadowed by the governor's race, there. Not many people in the media or voters paid attention. Alvin Greene won contest without either campaigning, running a commercial. It was just a fascinating story, out of the blue, first time candidate...
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: Or even really having money, except money enough to apply.
STEINHAUSER: Exactly. He needed $10,000 to apply. The state investigated where he got the money. They found no wrote doing, so there's no charges. Now tomorrow, he is going to speak for the first time. He's got an event Manning, South Carolina, where he lives, he's going to be speaking to the NAACP. He tell our Kevin Baum (ph) that he's going to talk about jobs, education and justice, which he says are the core issues on his campaign. I tell you, Fred, this story just continues to surprise us all.
WHITFIELD: It's fascinating. That's why we love politics, right?
STEINHAUSER: There's always another twist.
WHITFIELD: That's right. All right, Deputy political director, Paul Steinhauser, thanks so much coming from Washington, today.
STEINHAUSER: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: All right, meantime, something else that some of us have really come to love: the outrageous fashion on golf's most sacred grounds, right now. One reporter describes John Daly's pants this way, "Looks like he's wearing cheap motel curtains." That's what they say. Me? I kind of like them. What do you think?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, who isn't noticing this it guy, right here. And that is the idea, right? Pro golfer John Daly has his own clothing line, but thankfully his designs don't mirror the threads that he's rockin' at the British Open, this week.
CNN's Josh Levs is here to answer the question of what in the world, with these pants.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, some of them aren't that far off, right? You know, it's so interesting when your producers told me earlier, they were like, look at all the chatter online about his pants. I didn't realize how much. There's a lot.
This is the spread from WashingtonPost.com. They actually made a spread about the pants that he's been wearing throughout the week. And it's so interesting because people are really fascinated by this stuff. And then I was looking through what we had before, we've had our own gallery here, at the "Sports Illustrated," where we talk about -- well, this is our main story, here -- but, start to go through what we have. We've had our own gallery before.
People are fascinated by his pants. And he even tweets about his pants. Look at this. I pulled up his Twitter. He's telling people where you can find links. See, he signed a deal, reported this last year through "Sports Illustrated," he signed a deal with Loudmouth, I believe it was 2009, he signed this apparel deal with them. So, now people write in where can I get those pants and then he tells them. WHITFIELD: That's interesting. You know, his pants say fun, but his face says game face. Every shot you see and he's still concentrating on the game. He's not clowning around even though his pants are.
LEVS: Well, you know, he's making some kind of a statement. (INAUDIBLE), those pictures, there you go. I mean, he definitely makes a fashion -- you said you like this...
WHITFIELD: I do like it. It's fun. I like fun.
LEVS: Outside of the golf course, it might seem ridiculous. It's not what you want your dad to be wearing if you're a kid and you're walking down a public street, unless your dad's John Daly.
WHITFIELD: You know, who he's really reminding me of, Bud Collins.
LEVS: Right. Oh, yeah.
WHITFIELD: Every time he's at a big tournament, grand slam tennis tournament, Bud Collins is easy to spot because he's got the crazy pants on.
LEVS: Yeah, in fact, this is interesting, when I looked, he signed this deal, you know, with Loudmouth, well (INAUDIBLE), this apparel company, they also, their celebrity roster also includes Chicago Bears quarterback, Jim McMahon and rocker, Alice Cooper. So, these are other people who know how to stand out. They don't have any problem with standing out.
WHITFIELD: He's nailing it. And how is he doing, by the way?
LEVS: You know, I don't know because the best place to follow it is actually at golf.com which we hook to from here, but I haven't checked it recently, we'll have to check on that.
But I'll tell you, we've got all the breaking details. And you know what, we talk about Tiger as a business, he's a business too. He's out there, the world's watching him, people want the pants, boom.
WHITFIELD: Yeah, sometimes it's not about how much you're winning or earning on the green, but those endorsements, sometimes that's what's paying the rent.
LEVS: She's got it down.
WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, Josh. Appreciate it. Great to see you. We'll see you a little bit later. We'll see you all throughout the day. We've "Viral Videos," we've got that YouTube sensation.
LEVS: YouTube coming up in a few minutes how you can be part of a documentary that's going to be a feature film documentary that premiers at Sundance, it all happens next weekend, so check for this.
WHITFIELD: Oh, I'm looking forward to hearing about that. Thanks so much, Josh. Appreciate that.
All right, meantime something very serious taking place. A garage, this one right here, collapsing in New Jersey. Search crews feared there was a victim inside a crushed car. We'll tell you exactly what they found.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: A look at our top stories, right now. Search crews in Hackensack, New Jersey have not found any victims in the rubble of a collapsed garage. It was believed someone might have been in a crushed car. That car crushed by this collapse, the car was pulled from the rubble, but no one was inside.
In Illinois, a suspect is under arrest after he allegedly drove a car with explosives inside a bank. Witnesses said the car exploded as the man walked away. No injuries were reported there. The suspect is now charged with arson.
And good luck getting help from the police if you live in Oakland, California. The cash strapped city has laid off 80 officers. And right how police say they will no longer respond to many non- emergency calls like burglary, identity theft and embezzlement. We'll have more top stories in about 20 minutes, from now.
All right, charges of racism are be leveled against the Tea Party movement and now some members of the Tea Party are wondering if they have a defamation suit in which to file. Let's check with our legal guys. They're back with us this weekend as they are, oh, every weekend. Richard Herman and Avery Friedman. Avery, a civil rights attorney and law professor, Richard a New York criminal defense attorney and law professor.
Good to see both of you.
AVERY FRIEDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Hi, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: OK, this is very fascinating, Avery, you really brought this to our attention because it became a discussion that many attorneys were talking about. The NAACP pitted against the Tea Party movement.
And now the Tea Party, some members are saying wait a minute, we want to pursue some sort of defamation of character lawsuit against the NAACP because if the group is associated or being termed a racist group, then some members who say they are not racist say their character is being defamed. Really?
FRIEDMAN: Well, actually, the resolution doesn't say that. What the resolution says is that it urges the Tea Party movement, at least its leaders, to address the racism that's been manifested in many of the rallies that you see. But, it still doesn't answer the question.
That is if there's somebody in the movement and they feel defamed by the NAACP resolution, is there a claim. And as a general rule, because defamation is a personal injury, a personal tort, this sort of broad brush condemnation wouldn't serve as basis to go to court.
WHITFIELD: OK, so than yeah, Richard, that does bring -- You've got a group, you necessarily don't feel like, or you feel this broad brush image is being painted on the group, but you voluntarily enter into the group or you leave it, so you don't necessarily carry that same sign that maybe associated with the group, if it comes to that, correct?
RICHARD HERMAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Yeah, but you know, Fred, look, anybody for about $220 can sue anybody in the United States. But whether there's a viable case, that's the issue, here. Avery is absolutely right with his legal analysis. Potentially, would this person have a claim? They could bring a lawsuit, but they're not going to get anything here, Fred, zero.
Defamation is one of the most difficult cases to prove in court and the United Kingdom, there are only two types of cases you get a jury trial: criminal cases and defamation cases. In the United States, they are then out of court on a routine basis. They're very, very difficult to prove.
And here, again, the final resolution won't come out until October, so at best you may have some slander and the slander is loaded at the group itself after confronted and in-controvertible displays of acts of racism at certain events. All the NAACP is saying, hey, look, just repudiate it. What's wrong with repudiating that for your entire group?
(CROSSTALK)
FRIEDMAN: And that's a very interesting issue. If you're a leader and you see those kind of terrible signs of the president being portrayed with a bone in his nose or as a baboon, as a leader, why aren't leaders repudiating that sort of message? The question is, is that actionability in court.
And you know what, it's just between the NAACP's resolution and between the signs, all the stuff ises about a subtle as John Daly's pants that you were talking about. Politically speaking, 100 percent Molotov cocktail. Legally, very, very little significance.
WHITFIELD: So the flip side to that, whether it's defamation, does the Tea Party members pursue or not, does the NAACP, does it need to be very careful about the language that it uses, whether it be in the resolution or whether it is during, you know, a broadcast interview as it pertains to the NAACP's feelings about the Tea Party movement or any other movement, for that matter?
HERMAN: Yeah, my friend Julian Vaughn, who just retires the chair, calls the NAACP the biggest, baddest, boldest civil rights organization in America. There's never been very much subtlety in how they approach issues of racism. And you know what, I don't think they should be subtle. But the question is can they be defendants in a defamation action. They have in their 100 year history, but the cases ultimately have been thrown out of court. They're perfectly fine at what they're doing. WHITFIELD: OK, any final word on that Richard, before we move on to your favorite, Mel Gibson?
HERMAN: Well, the Tea Party says, look, the NAACP, right now, in 2010, is irrelevant. They're just doing this for publicity and they're playing the race card and yet the NAACP is saying, hey look, you say you want to take back America. They're afraid you want to take it back pre-1963.
So, you know, they'll word this, and you know Fred, truth is a defense in defamation cases. And all you got to do is show some of these videos with these signs and placards. And I don't think it will get to that, it's going to be then out before that.
WHITFIELD: All right, well let's talk about Mel Gibson. He's gotten everyone's attention for the past couple weeks, now. We talked about it a little bit last week and now we have even more material in which to talk about.
You know, Richard first, you know, we're talking about a recording, the ex-girlfriend, and Mel Gibson and the language that's being spouted and illustrating his rage and his choice of words and maybe in some cases an admission or two, but don't we first have to get past the whole two party state notion as to whether this kind of tape would even be admissible in the first place because he was unaware that he was being recorded.
HERMAN: Right, most states have one party consent, Fred, but in California, there is an exception if you're trying to gain evidence with respect to a case concerning violence. So, that exception would apply here and the tape would be admissible.
The issue, though, is authenticity of the tape and there allegations that this tape has been chopped up and tampered with. And if the tapes have been tampered with in any way, shape or form, they're not going to be admissible, they're going to be thrown out of court no matter how outrageous and how stupid and ignorant this little stupid man sounds on them.
FRIEDMAN: Yeah, that's one of the defenses, Fredricka. No. 1, even though it was violent, he never really did anything about it, well, that doesn't matter, it's still a crime. And secondly, there is evidence from a dentist that his girlfriend saw that her veneers are loosened or knocked out. So, this is very serious...
WHITFIELD: And then you have to connect the dots on that, too. I mean, how do you know how they were knocked out or damaged and was it because of Mel...
HERMAN: It's corroborated in one of the tapes. You deserved it, so it's going to come down to the tapes, sure.
WHITFIELD: If there were accusations that it was edited, how do you know if even what is being said is...
FRIEDMAN: Well, if it's edited, somebody's in trouble, because the court, Judge Gordon who's handling at least the temporary protective order, is going insist on what happened, here. And that's going to be...
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: And what about the testimony, apparently there might be, there would be testimony, potentially, of his stepson who apparently claims that he actually saw the damaged teeth of the ex- girlfriend. I'm omitting the name because that gets complicated.
HERMAN: That's OK. It's going to go down to what he observed and the credibility of his testimony, but in addition to that, Fred, his ex-wife, apparently, wants to come testify in his behalf. But maybe, if you looked a little deeper, he only fathered like 38 children with her, he's worth about a billion dollars and they're right on the eve of the settlement of their divorce case to which she stands to make a lot of money, so...
FRIEDMAN: And the custody case, which actually is another one of the legal issues. And the ex-wife, indeed, is supporting him, believe it or not, in the custody case. So, there are so many legal things going on, Fredricka, in this, with Mel Gibson.
HERMAN: And in addition, there was a sealing order on these tapes, Fred, where the judge wanted the tapes sealed and not turned over to anybody. And if this woman has turned these tapes over to RadarOnline or any other agencies after the sealing order...
FRIEDMAN: But that's a civil matter. I think that's a civil matter. We'll see what Oksana does here, all right?
WHITFIELD: OK, well, we will. Well, we're going to...
HERMAN: There's an extortion claim too, Fred, that she tried extort him for $10 million that she wouldn't show the -- play the tapes to anybody.
WHITFIELD: So, we're just at the tip of the iceberg, in other words.
FRIEDMAN: Yes, the tip of the iceberg. That's right.
WHITFIELD: OK. Well, we're going to see you again later on in the hour. We're going to talk about other favs: Lindsay Lohan, we're going to talk about Roman Polanski, is he coming back to the U.S. or not, what's going on with that situation. And Erin Andrews, why this case doesn't seem to be going away.
FRIEDMAN: Maybe.
WHITFIELD: All right, Avery, Richard -- OK, maybe.
HERMAN: She doesn't want it to.
WHITFIELD: We'll see you in a little bit. Thanks so much. All right, well, perhaps you have wanted your life splashed across the big screen in a good way, hopefully. Well, here's your chance. A big time Hollywood director is making a movie about anybody's ordinary life, at least one day at a time.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: OK, whatever you're doing today, do you think it's actually worth showing in a major documentary? Well, you just might be surprised at what people believe to be their regular ordinary lives that deserve to be up on the big silver screen. So, YouTube has teamed up by the way with two Hollywood giants to produce a documentary about what people all over the world do in a single day from sunrise to sunset.
Josh Levs is following all of this. So Josh, how does it work?
LEVS: I'm really excited for this. I think it's really interesting. You know, we've seen things in the past that are photos all taken across the world on one day, people writing what they do in one day, but what this is is jumping into modern technology.
This is the website right here, it's YouTube.com/lifeinaday. There's a video that goes along with it. Let's take a look at this. The basic idea here is everyone all over the world, anyone, is invited to go out and film what you do on Saturday, July 24th, that's one week from today. That's why I wanted to talk to you all about it today so you can start thinking about it.
Now, we have a lot of questions about what's going to be involved here, so joining us from YouTube, a woman behind the project, Sara Pollack who is the entertainment marketing manager right there. Sara, you can hear me? You got met?
SARA POLLACK, YOUTUBE ENTERTAINMENT MARKETING MANAGER: That's right, I got you.
LEVS: Awesome. Thanks so much for being here. All right, give our viewers the big picture here. Where did this idea come from and what's it all about?
POLLACK: Sure. So, "Life in a Day" is a massive experiment that we're conducting with Ridley Scott and Kevin Macdonald to create a user-generated documentary film that captures a day on earth as seen by the thousands of people who end up participating. And the idea was really a collaboration between YouTube, Ridley Scott and his team and director Kevin Macdonald who came up with the final idea that you guys are now seeing.
LEVS: This is so interesting. All right, now a lot of people out there wondering OK, what's going to make the cut because there are going to be so many clips that get sent in here.
And we have something here. Kevin Macdonald -- by the way, he's the Oscar-winning director of films, "The Last King of Scotland" and "Touching the Void." Very well known. He's going to be editing these clips together.
Here's a little piece of what he said this is all about to him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEVIN MACDONALD, EDITOR, "LIFE IN A DAY": You just need to go ahead, take your camera, hopefully something reasonably good quality, go and film something. It could be something that to you seems really banal. It could be your journey to work, washing your baby at bath time, going to the hospital to visit a friend. Your birthday, going for a walk in the coutryside.
Or it could be something much more meaningful to you, much more emotional. They're knocking down the building next to where you live that you've always loved. The death of a friend. It's a little snapshot of your life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: All right. So Sara, no one questions that he's brilliant at what he's doing, but what it is -- I mean, some people out there are going to have the most banal day, as he's saying, a really boring day. Some people might be jumping off cliffs, getting married, having huge things happen. How does -- in your view, how does this ultimately all pull together in some fascinating documentary?
POLLACK: Sure. Well, I think as you've mentioned, Kevin Macdonald is an incredibly talented director. I think he's got a very strong creative vision for the project. I think, you know, what he's really most excited about is the contrast that he's going to get and that's what you're referring to, that some people will have very average days, some days might be the most amazing day of their life: a wedding in India, somebody's baby.
Like you said, somebody jumping off a cliff or climbing a mountain, and it's really going to be the contrast between the mundane and the extraordinary that's going depict a very accurate portrait we hope of what it's like to be alive on July 24th.
LEVS: Well, and a lot of people want to hear from Ridley Scott. He's the director of "Gladiator," "Black Hawk Down," "Thelma and Louise," "Blade Runner," he's very respected. And we have a video of him also talking about this. He and his video, he talks about this as an opportunity for aspiring filmmakers to have a shot at learning their craft and having it featured.
Here's what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RIDLEY SCOTT, EXEC. PRODUCER, "LIFE IN A DAY": It should be personal and it must be personal. That's what we're looking for. The key, of course, is what appeals to you as the author. Think from here. Really think about why that sunrise makes you happy or why that sunset makes you sad. There's no excuse. You have a digital camera, go out and shoot your film. Seriously, there is no excuse. (END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: Now Sara, I want to ask you something here because he says there's no excuse, but something that I'm really interested in here is that there are people, lots of people in this world who don't have the wealth that we have, you know, in middle class America. A lot of people out there don't have digital cameras.
So, I understand that you are involved in projects out there, both in this country and outside of this country to get cameras to people out there who don't have access. Tell me a little bit about that.
POLLACK: Yes, you're absolutely right. We think it's very important that people who don't have access to cameras and computers participate in this, otherwise it's not an accurate portrayal of life on July 24th. So, Ridley Scott's team is working with an organization to get cameras out to nonprofits in remote regions in South America, in the Middle East, in Africa, to make sure that we get to hear from those people, as well.
LEVS: Well, listen, Sara Pollack. Thank you so much for joining us. We really appreciate it.
POLLACK: Thank you so much for having me.
LEVS: And I want to tell all of you, I've posted links about this up on my Facebook page and at Twitter. I'm at JoshLevsCNN. Would love to hear from you, your thoughts on this, what you hope will come out of this documentary. And ultimately, this doc will be -- we already know, it's already planned. It is going to be at Sundance 2011.
WHITFIELD: Wow.
LEVS: So Fred, it's going to have a heck of a platform to be introduced. Some people out there are going to have their lives seen at Sundance.
WHITFIELD: So, do you suppose on -- the 24th, right? On the 24th, Josh ...
LEVS: Yes, this Saturday, a week from today.
WHITFIELD: ...you'll be able to, in some way, get a little, you know, bird's eye view of what's taking place on that day so that we can do a follow?
LEVS: Yes, we will, because what's happening is that day as people shoot them, they're putting them together, putting them on YouTube. So even the ones that don't make the documentary will forever live on the YouTube channel that is "Life in a Day." So, we'll be able to look at some -- especially places that like Australia are way ...
WHITFIELD: Yes. LEVS: ...ahead of us in the time zone.
WHITFIELD: OK.
LEVS: We -- a week from today, we'll already have some that are coming in and we'll show them to you then.
WHITFIELD: Oh, OK, good. Well, we look forward to that. Thanks so much, Josh.
LEVS: Yes. Thanks, Fred.
WHITFIELD: Well, Twitter people who have some experiences with film but in very different ways, Roman Polanski, Lindsay Lohan, we're going to be talking about them with our legal guys coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, our legal guys are back now because we got some really interesting cases now involving kind of the celebrity status folks and their legal woes right now. Avery Friedman, a civil rights attorney and law professor back with us. Richard Herman, a New York criminal defense attorney and law professor as well back with us.
All right, let's talk about ESPN reporter Erin Andrews. Richard, I'll begin with you first because you've already kind of alluded to what your thoughts are on this case. You said she doesn't want this case to go away. She's now pursuing the hotel for its culpability in revealing to the man who's already been convicted for videotaping her, revealing that she was indeed staying at the hotel. Why would she want to keep this case alive so to speak?
HERMAN: Well, she's suing for intentional infliction of emotional distress, she's claiming that the hotels failed to protect her privacy because they provided this individual with her room number and allowed him to get rooms next to hers. And she's suing for about 1. ...
WHITFIELD: Which is pretty outrageous, come on.
HERMAN: All right, that's outrageous, but Fred, it boils down to this. The key element in the claim is called foreseeability. And did the hotels, was it foreseeable that this guy was going to drill a hole in the wall, get a video recorder, video her, and then throw it on the internet or sell it to people? That's the issue. No jury is going to believe this.
WHITFIELD: Oh, but -- but Avery, does it matter ...
FRIEDMAN: I don't see it that way.
WHITFIELD: ...that a hotel -- I mean, if a hotel, you know, reveals that you are indeed a client, you're staying there, they're already kind of breaching security, are they not, whether they know the other person's intent or not? I don't want anybody, you know, that kind of information going out, would you? FRIEDMAN: Right. Right, I agree with you. I think this is a fascinating case. It's -- I studied the 26-page complaint and I think it is carefully pled and what they did was they tracked the stalker along into Milwaukee, into Columbus, various cities. Look, it's a shotgun complaint. There's no doubt about it. They're bringing everybody in.
But the key here is Michael Barrett. What will Michael Barrett say in terms of connecting his behavior to what the hotels made available to him. I think it's a really righteous and principled lawsuit and I think it's a terrific case. I'm glad she's doing it.
WHITFIELD: So, is there -- is the pursuit money? I mean, is she looking for, you know, damages, Richard or -- Avery, go ahead.
FRIEDMAN: Well, I mean, my -- oh. Yes, well, go ahead, Richard. Go ahead.
HERMAN: She's looking for $1.2 million in damages and she wants to do one of these lesson cases. We're going to make a lesson. I'm going to teach them a lesson on this one.
FRIEDMAN: Yes.
WHITFIELD: This is the Marriott.
HERMAN: Those cases are fraught with problems from the outset, Fred. Avery, mark the date and time. This case is going to be dismissed. No way this case is getting to the jury.
FRIEDMAN: It's not -- it'll be dismissed -- it'll be dismissed because the hotels are going to pay by way of a confidential settlement, Richard. That's what's going to happen here.
HERMAN: I don't think so.
WHITFIELD: OK.
HERMAN: I don't think she wants to divulge her intentional infliction of emotional distress, have all her shrink information revealed to the public because that's what's going to happen.
FRIEDMAN: Well, but you have invasion of privacy and negligence. I think it's a wonderful case. It is a lesson case. It's a righteous case. Good for her.
WHITFIELD: OK, all right. Let's talk about Roman Polanski. I don't think anyone could have written this script because didn't we think that he was on his way to the U.S. probably, what, any day now kind of thing and now, you know, the Swedes say eh-eh -- or I'm sorry, yes, Switzerland is saying you know what, we actually think that that case was handled improperly in the U.S., so no, we're not going to hand him over after all, Avery.
FRIEDMAN: Yes, I was wrong in this. I actually thought he was coming back. And the reason he will not be is because of a screw up between the Justice Department and the L.A. Prosecutors Office. Justice in Washington said, you know, here's the information about the transcripts. L.A. said they never got it.
All the Swiss government wanted, Fredricka, was the sealed transcripts so they could make a judgment on whether or not he served any sentence. The Swiss government never got it. They treated that as a disregard of their request. They freed him. So, at least for purposes of being in Switzerland, this guy is running free right now.
WHITFIELD: And so Richard, is he going to head, you know, back to France? Because that's home base for him, where he's been able to live for many decades now and do the job of being an award-winning director.
HERMAN: He's going to trot home to France. He doesn't even have to slide into home base.
FRIEDMAN: I don't know.
HERMAN: And he's going to be waving his hands high, he's going to do another movie this fall. He's all slated to do another movie. And you know, the request by the Swiss was not outrageous.
FRIEDMAN: Right.
HERMAN: They just wanted to determine whether or not he had any time left on his prison sentence because if he didn't, then there's no reason to extradite and they wouldn't do it.
FRIEDMAN: Right.
WHITFIELD: So wait a minute ...
HERMAN: But when they didn't get that information ...
WHITFIELD: Go ahead, yes.
HERMAN: ...when they didn't get it, they said denied, request denied. He's gone.
FRIEDMAN: Right.
WHITFIELD: Wow. So wait a minute, Avery, why are you saying I don't know if he's, you know, is he way ahead of ...
(CROSSTALK)
FRIEDMAN: Well, because I don't agree with Richard. I mean, he may bop over to France, but you know what, there is a relationship, there are treaties between the United States, Poland, other countries. I'm not sure, to be honest with you, if there is a treaty with France with respect to Interpol, but there are other countries. If he goes back to Poland, Fredricka, they're going to grab him and bring him back to the United States. But France, to be honest with you, I don't know. WHITFIELD: Yes, OK. Let's talk about Lindsay Lohan and what's going on with her. She is to serve 90 days in jail. That was the sentence. She now has a new attorney in Robert Shapiro after last weekend, we all talked about how her attorney for a very long time resigned. Her father wants to make sure that she gets rehab. That's the argument. Rehab before jail time.
Would that kind of request be granted, Richard, based on the track record so far of, you know, the way things have panned out for her in the legal system?
HERMAN: Well, maybe they could get a group family rate for rehab for the whole family.
FRIEDMAN: Yes.
HERMAN: But -- or anything. Listen, Fred, she's going to prison and there's no way this judge is not going to send her to prison on this particular case. She's going to do about three weeks. That's about it in prison and be released.
FRIEDMAN: Yes.
WHITFIELD: Why only three weeks?
HERMAN: So forget about the 90 days.
WHITFIELD: Why?
HERMAN: Because of the overcrowding in the California prison system. She's getting out in less than 30 days. You can take that to the bank.
(CROSSTALK)
FRIEDMAN: Yes, but the question is what follows from when she's out.
HERMAN: Wait, wait. Avery, wait. Avery, one second.
FRIEDMAN: Go ahead.
HERMAN: Avery, yes. But it'll be a disaster when she gets out. But the point is that the strategy to put her in rehab is great, but it should have been done by her first attorney at the very beginning of this case.
FRIEDMAN: Yes.
HERMAN: If they had her in therapy then, then they could go to the judge and say look, judge, she's been in for months, she's doing great. There's no sense in putting her in prison.
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: OK, wait a minute. Can't you -- you can sometimes get rehab -- sometimes it's simultaneous, you go to prison and you receive rehab there. Why wouldn't that argument be made?
FRIEDMAN: And -- well, it will be made.
HERMAN: Because this is for punishment.
FRIEDMAN: But the fact that Robert Shapiro is in here, remember him from the old days, in the O.J. defense team. But the fact is now he has two things going on, he has a therapy facility as a consequence of losing a son, he also has legal zoom. So, I guess it's the legal zoom therapy center.
But whatever it's going to be, as soon as she's out of jail, she's going to be in that therapy center. That's what Shapiro wants. He wants to take control, wants to make that representation to the judge. So, she's not going to wind up back in trouble again.
WHITFIELD: Wow. Fascinating stuff. It is never-ending.
HERMAN: I don't agree with that. He's doing this to try to keep her out. He's doing this to try to keep her out of prison and it's not going to work. Too little too late.
FRIEDMAN: I agree with that, I agree with that.
WHITFIELD: Richard, Avery, OK. We're closing this out with an agreement.
FRIEDMAN: We end on an agreement, Fredricka. We end on an agreement.
WHITFIELD: Oh my God, kumbayah. We got a kumbayah moment. OK, I love that. All right, Avery, Richard, thanks so much. Good to see you guys. See you next weekend, right.
FRIEDMAN: We'll see you soon. Take care, bye-bye.
WHITFIELD: All right, very good.
HERMAN: See you next week.
WHITFIELD: OK, sure, it's July, you don't have to look at a calendar, but the heat is really excessive in a big part of the country. It feels more like August in so many places. We'll find out where are the hot spots. Where is it not hot actually?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, it's July, it's hot. That's what happens in July, but this is oppressive heat. Karen Maginnis in the weather center. Oppressive heat, triple digit temperatures in so many parts of the country.
(WEATHER REPORT)
WHITFIELD: In the meantime, we got some breaking news we want to bring to you right now. This just in coming out of rural Kansas. We're talking about Franklin County, Kansas. You're looking at the images coming in from our affiliate KSHB. That school bus right there we understand actually overturned while on a road trip. Apparently, this was a church camp that many of the kids in that school bus were coming back from.
We're going to tell you a little bit more about the status of that when we come right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, back now with this breaking story we'll continue to watch throughout the day now. Images right here from our affiliate out of Kansas, KSHB. You're seeing that school bus right there overturned. There were about 23 children on this bus coming back from a church camp when this took place in Franklin County. And we understand according to our reporting from KSHB that four, maybe even five children are actually in critical condition.
We'll give you the latest update on how this accident might have happened when we come back to air at about an hour from now if not before that. Meantime right now, it's time for "YOUR MONEY."
