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800 Killed in Pakistan Flooding; Sealing BP Well Delayed; Louisiana Reopens Fishing Areas; US Military Attributes Military Leaks To Private Already In Custody For Previous Leaks; Computer Hacker Says Leaks Could Endanger US Lives

Aired July 31, 2010 - 16:00   ET

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

JIM ACOSTA, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Top of the hour. Here's a quick check of the headlines. Deadly flooding has affected as many as a million people in northwest Pakistan, at least 800 people are dead. The flood waters washed away homes and schools.

The man accused of leaking sensitive information to a web site is in solitary confinement. Army Private Bradley Manning is being held at the Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia. He's accused of leaking thousands of pages of documents on the war in Afghanistan.

And in case you haven't heard or got the invitation, it's Chelsea Clinton's wedding day. The former first daughter is having her big day in upstate New York.

Well, our top story this afternoon, heavy flooding is washing away homes and schools in Pakistan. It's happening in the area formerly known as the northwest frontier province. That includes the Swat Valley. So far, at least 800 people are dead and CNN's Reza Sayah is there with this dramatic look at the devastation.

REZA SAYAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We are getting our first look at the damage caused by three days of floods and record-breaking monsoon rains here in Pakistan. And what we are seeing is a disaster. Communities that are going to take perhaps years to rebuild. The hardest hit area is the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, here in Charsatta, which is two hours west of Islamabad. Flood waters have swept away hundreds of homes. Officials telling CNN scores of businesses, schools and government buildings also destroyed.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SAYAH (on camera): So what's left of your home?

MOHAMMED SAJED, FLOOD VICTIM: Nothing is left. Four walls, two or three bedrooms. Everything, the refrigerator, TV, everything is just swimming in the water. We have nothing to save.

SAYAH: You are looking at the Swat River, one of the reasons rescue and relief crews haven't been able to get to all the victims is because many of the bridges in the area are impassable. This is one of them, connecting Charsatta to villages west.

Look at the mud and muck that's covering this bridge. You have a tree blocking this bridge. Who knows where this tree came from. And look at what the flood waters did to this part of the bridge. Just simply sucked it right under. This is how powerful these flood waters were.

With many of the bridges impassable, sometimes the only way to cross area rivers is by boat. What you are looking at are boats where the owner is charging the equivalent of about 80 cents for taking people across the river and sometimes with the heat and the circumstances, frustrations set in. This is a fight that took place inside one of the boats, packed with about 20 people. Local residents fighting for a spot to get across the river.

This is the road that connects Charsata to Peshawar, much of it is damaged and it is a chaotic scene. Tens of kilometers down that way and tens of kilometers down that way. These are people who have lost their homes. Many of them lost all their belongings.

UMER SAEED, FLOOD VICTIM: I think they (INAUDIBLE) should have to help people, especially in other building.

SAYAH: Government officials are calling this the worst natural disaster this area has ever seen with a million people impacted. They say they are trying to get helicopters, boats and relief crews here as soon as possible. But as you heard, many of the people we spoke to, help isn't arriving soon enough and patience is running thin.

Reza Sayah, CNN, Charsatta, Pakistan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: Now to the gulf where there is another delay in efforts to cap BP's ruptured oil well. Federal officials now say it will be Tuesday before they can begin sealing the well with what is being called a static kill. The latest delay is being caused by some debris left behind by tropical storm Bonnie. BP said the debris consists of a large rock and dirt. Crews still have to clean it, away from that area before the static kill procedure can be performed. And oil spill chief Thad Allen says that delay it is not a huge problem, so we shouldn't worry too much about that.

On the upside, Louisiana is opening more fishing grounds after extensive testing and the state and Food & Drug Administration say fish caught in areas east of the Mississippi River are safe to eat. Ewell Smith is with the Louisiana Seafood Marketing and Promotion Board and he joins us now live from New Orleans.

Ewell, I was just talking to you a couple of days ago. And here we are speaking live right here on CNN -

EWELL SMITH, LOUISIANA SEAFOOD MARKETING & PROMOTION BOARD: That's right.

ACOSTA: - about this terrific development for the fishermen down there. And one of the issues that we talked about and is still going to be an issue, I bet, is the fact that so many fishermen have been working for BP. Now they need to get back out there and catch some of that delicious seafood down there. Tell us about that. SMITH: Well, that's going to be a transition. That's been a concern of ours, how that's going to work. Because so many fishermen have been plugged into the BP system with their vessels of opportunity and now we need to get fishermen back to doing what they love to do, and that's fish.

That's what they have been doing since they're 12 years old for seven and eight generations. So the good news is we have seen these areas starting to open. The well is capped. That's another positive sign. Once that well is officially killed, we can start really planning and moving forward to rebuild the brand of Louisiana Seafood and Gulf Seafood around the U.S..

We need to do that. We have to have product to go to marketplace and we need our fishermen to get back to the dock. We have a program called back to the dock, we presented to BP to incentivize our fishermen to get over the hurdle and transition back into fishing.

ACOSTA: And Ewell, one thing you said there that I want to talk about is we need to rebuild the brand of Louisiana seafood. Obviously there are going to be folks around the country who are concerned that the seafood that they get from the gulf on their table may not be safe.

But as you know and I'm sure you can talk about this, the Food and Drug Administration came out yesterday and said, "no, we have tested this extensively. Not only with the smell test but also with chemical testing at various laboratories across the country and the tests came back clean." So how do you rebuild the brand? How do you get that message out there?

SMITH: Well, we know it's going to take us some time. It took Alaska about five years to rebuild that consumer confidence. But it's working with the FDA. Commissioner Hamburg was literally standing about where I am right now when she made that announcement. And she's working with the EPA, NOAA fisheries, our state department of health and hospitals and our wildlife & fisheries.

And I would argue that all these agencies have come together and they are testing at unprecedented levels and will be for some time. So I would pretty much argue the food source coming from our gulf whether it's Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Texas, is probably the safest food source there is in the United States right now and will be for quite some time.

(CROSSTALK)

ACOSTA: Yes, I was just going to say how do you convince the fishermen of that? Because as you and I were talking out there by Lake Pontchartrain a couple of days ago, we ran into a fisherman who was saying I'm not sure I trust the seafood out there. We have seen other published articles, there's one in the "New York Times" today where a fisherman says, "I'm not so sure about this."

SMITH: Well, we turn to the scientists and the scientists have all come back and we got a clean bill of health from every one of those agencies. It's not like one agency coming back. We're going to need help with from those agencies though is one simple thing. We need them to come together and literally report weekly what they are doing in a format that the consumers across the nation, the buyers across the nation can understand in very plain English, including our fishermen. And we need to be able to communicate that to the fishermen.

Everybody, we understand the skepticism around other parts of the country when you see these images. But the test results literally have gotten a clean bill of health from every one of those health agencies. And we feel very comfortable with that and we turn to the experts for that. And they are going to help as we move forward to get that message out at the national level. That's why Commissioner Hamburg was here with the FDA yesterday to make that announcement.

ACOSTA: Well, Ewell, you are doing some important work there with the state board that promotes Louisiana seafood. We're looking forward to the industry getting back on its feet and best of luck to you. Thanks for your time this afternoon. Appreciate it. Good talking to you, Ewell.

SMITH: Thank you, Jim. Appreciate it.

ACOSTA: All right.

Well, a federal Appeals Court says no to Arizona Governor Jan Brewer's request for a quick hearing on the state's new immigration law. She wants a ban on key parts of the controversial new law lifted. The hearing however will not happen until November. But Governor Brewer may be working on a plan B. CNN's Dan Simon is live in Phoenix with that story. Hello, Dan.

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Jim. Well, that is the Arizona capitol behind me. And for Republican lawmakers including Jan Brewer, who called that place their office, they are looking at ways possibly to fast track this bill, maybe a way to get it through the courts a bit quicker by tweaking the language to the bill. Not quite sure how that would happen but apparently they would have to call some kind of a special legislative session to consider making tweaks.

At this point, the talks are preliminary and we are keeping tabs reaching out to the governor's spokesperson to find out if in fact they might be considering doing that going forward. In the meantime, I want to talk to a little bit about the sentiment that we are finding here in Arizona. I have been here over the last several days and have been to many of these protests.

And what is clear is that now, more than ever, this state is deeply divided. And when you look particularly at the Hispanic population here in Arizona, deeply divided as well. About 80 percent of Hispanics, according to the polls we have seen, are against Arizona law SB-1070.

But even within the Hispanic community, there can be some deep divisions. Case in point, we spent some time with a family last night, they do this Friday night called taco night. And we spent several hours over there trying to, you know, engage them in conversation, trying to figure out where the issues are. And for those against 1070, the key issue for them is what they believe will happen with SB 1070 and that's racial profiling. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EDDIE KINGERY, OPPOSES IMMIGRATION LAW: It's so easy to see the color of skin. The color of skin is just such an easy way to say, hey, they are probably here illegally. And I just think that the law inspires racial profiling. It does inspire racism. I just do. I grew up with racism. I grew up with people, you know, calling me names and saying things because I'm Mexican and because of the color of my skin and all that, and I don't like that. And I just feel that the new immigration law inspires more of that. And I feel that it's going to eventually divide the country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIMON: Yes, what we found out is that in talking to that family, most are against 1070, but there are also a number of people in that family that are for 1070. What they talk about is what they say the problems with crime, with education and health care. Listen to that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SIMON (on camera): How do you think it's going to help? How is it going to solve -

IDA KINGERY, SUPPORTS IMMIGRATION LAW: I think once the law is passed it will give a little bit of ease, you know, for the people that are non-Hispanic. It's going to make them feel more comfortable. Because right now, they think of the immigrants that are coming in, they are coming in as criminals and they are not all criminals. I think this will help, you know, eventually for them to not think that way.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SIMON: So back here live, we know that meeting right now behind us, Senator Russell Pearce meeting with some Republican leaders perhaps looking at various solutions, what they might feel are various solutions in going forward. We're going to try to talk to those folks a bit later on. Of course, we'll update you as the day goes. Jim, back to you.

ACOSTA: Well, that law is not only dividing the state, Dan, it is dividing families. Dan Simon, live in Phoenix for us this afternoon. Thanks, Dan. Appreciate it.

And a bitter sweet journey for a record number of illegal immigrants who will be deported this year. We are along for the 18-hour ride from San Antonio to El Salvador. That's coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ACOSTA: More now on the immigration controversy. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency also known as I.C.E. says it will deport more than 400,000 illegal immigrants this is year. The journey from a detention center in Texas to the ground in El Salvador is documented by CNN's Adrian Baschuk.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ADRIAN BASCHUK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is a story about going home. In this case, to El Salvador, but this is no homecoming. Why? Because there is no such thing when you're deported. Come along this long, mundane journey that 42,000 illegal immigrants are taking each week from detention facilities like this in San Antonio, on the bus, to the tarmac, aboard the plane, and finally back home.

(on camera): Our journey begins. It's about 10:45 at night. Obviously, we've been hearing deportations are up these days and I.C.E. is working around the clock. So these are agents and we are off to the detention facility.

(voice-over): Welcome to San Antonio's lonely highways at night. We are driving an hour down the road, here to the South Texas Detention Complex. Before meeting the detainees, the facilities director wants to show us around.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is normally what they are issued when they arrive at the facility.

BASCHUK: Most detainees will stay here for about 26 days.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Some are a little bit more. Some are even less.

BASCHUK: Some of these immigrants see a doctor for the first time in their lives.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They are newly diagnosed with hypertension, diabetes, tuberculosis.

BASCHUK: They get three squares a day. They are afforded due process by a judge via teleconference. There is a law library and books in various languages.

RANDAL HENDERSON, SOUTH TEXAS DETENTION CENTER: I mean, here we have Arabic books. We have Chinese. We have Korean, Japanese.

BASCHUK (on camera): Yahtzee, Monopoly, Chinese Checkers.

(voice-over): Next, we meet these men, slated to be sent home. An I.C.E. press officer asks if anyone wants to share their story.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Jesus, Pedro and Miguel volunteer.

BASCHUK (on camera): This is Jesus. He worked various times in New York as a cook and he went back to El Salvador to provide for his family, he says, to get his son an education.

JESUS, ICE DETAINEE: Right now, I'm going to, whatever, work the land, make beans or something, whatever.

BASCHUK: So this is Pedro. He's 25 and he says he's an electrical engineer. I'm asking does he think he'll try to return to the U.S.?

PEDRO, ICE DETAINEE: That's the idea but I have to think about it because along the journey you suffer. You suffer. No eating for two days, sleeping on the mountain, around animals, snakes. You suffer a lot so I'd think hard about coming back.

BASCHUK: He's what they call a repeat offender. He's 24. And he's been in the States before.

(voice-over): Miguel married a Salvadorian girl born in Indiana, a citizen. They have a two-year-old son.

MIGUEL, ICE DETAINEE: I ask God that they're OK. My wife's pregnant and there's only one before we have another son.

BASCHUK: If he attempts to cross illegally again it will cost him another $1,000 he just lost and a possible prison sentence of up to 20 years, if caught.

MIGUEL: (speaking in foreign language).

BASCHUK: I.C.E. tells us these people are not criminals. Seven of these men, I.C.E. says, are repeat offenders, caught either on the border or during traffic stops.

At 3:30 a.m., it's time to board the bus. It will be a long night ahead. The journey home has just begun.

Adrian Baschuk, CNN, San Antonio.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: This journey is far from over. In a few minutes, the final flight home.

Imagine being present for your own funeral. Robert Duvall was in his new movie "Get Low," which opens in theaters across the country this weekend. A preview is coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ACOSTA: Checking top stories. Three inmates are on the run in Arizona. Authorities say they escaped from a prison in Kingman, Arizona, with the help of a woman. They were all convicted of murder. All are serving terms of 15 years to life and they are considered armed and dangerous.

Moving to politics, California congresswoman says she wants to go to trial in the House over alleged ethics violations. Maxine Waters said she chose an ethics trial over a finding of wrongdoing by the House Ethics Committee. Waters may have violated rules by arranging a meeting between the Treasury Department and a bank that she has ties to.

And get this, movie buffs. We have something special here for you. A Tennessee recluse plans his own funeral party while he's alive. And a young man must choose between the promise he made to his deceased brother and his girlfriend. And a "Dinner for Schmucks." These movies hit theaters this weekend but do they make the grade?

Tony Scott, our film critic has today's movie reviews. He joins us live now. And looks like he's in Chicago with us. A great town. Tony, we got some pretty promising movies that are coming up here in theaters, specifically, let's start off with "Charlie St. Cloud." It's a romantic drama with a special connection to his deceased younger brother, falls in love and is forced to choose between his new love and his promise to his younger brother. With Zac Efron, we all know him from "High School Musical" films.

A.O. SCOTT, FILM CRITIC, "NEW YORK TIMES": Yes.

ACOSTA: Let's take a look at that real quick and we'll talk about it on the other side.

SCOTT: OK.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're late. I thought we had a deal.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We do. We do have a deal. Meet here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: So there's Zac Efron, Tony, showing that he can do more than sing and dance. But is it a good movie?

SCOTT: Oh, well, I have to say, uh, no. We started with the least promising of the movies. Zac Efron is a very, I think, is a talented and appealing performer. I liked him in "High School Musical" movies. I liked him a lot in a movie called "Me and Orson Welles" that came out last year. This is, I think going after maybe some of the "Twilight" audience, the teenage girls. He spends a lot of time taking off his shirt. And it's kind of -

ACOSTA: Not my kind of movie.

SCOTT: - a little bit of a super natural weepy also. It's Zac Efron sees dead people. There is a plot twist in the middle that, for me, completely ruined whatever emotional pull this move might have had.

ACOSTA: So a C minus there? Is that right?

SCOTT: Yes. C minus. You know, the scenery is nice. It's shot in the pacific northwest. There are some nice sailing sequences, you know, which will cool you off a little bit on a hot day, but it's not really a movie unless you are a teenage girl with lots of posters of Zac Efron already on your wall. It's probably not one that you -

(CROSSTALK)

ACOSTA: Well, let's move to a very different target audience with one of my favorite actors, Robert Duvall. "Get Low." Let's take a look at that clip. This looks like a great movie.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, my hand's not what it was. It sounded like you said you wanted me to preach at your funeral party with you sitting there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, sir.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I talk to god a lot about you over the years. He said he broke the mold when he made you. He said you sure are entertaining to watch, but way too much trouble.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: All right. That one also stars Bill Murray and Sissy Spacek. Sounds like a great cast. Do they deliver?

SCOTT: Yes, I think they do. I think this is a wonderful movie and a nice alternative to some of the big summer blockbusters. This is a small scale movie about this very eccentric character played by Duvall, who for mysterious reasons decides that he wants to have his own funeral before he's dead and be there in attendance and Bill Murray plays the slightly disreputable down on his luck funeral director who takes him on as a client.

ACOSTA: A great role for Bill Murray.

SCOTT: The acting is good, the writing is good. It's wonderful all around. You saw Bill Cobbs in that clip, Sissy Spacek, Lucas Black from "Friday Night Lights." Really well acted, unusual story. The kind of movie that's not like everything else that you've seen.

ACOSTA: Oh, great. I'm looking forward to it. An A minus, an A minus from you, Tony, that is terrific. That's great.

SCOTT: Yes, and I'm a tough grader.

ACOSTA: OK.

SCOTT: It's a good grade.

ACOSTA: Not grading on a curve here. Let's go to our next clip is "Dinner For Schmucks," which has nothing to do with me and having dinner with me and my friends. Let's take a look at that clip.

SCOTT: All right.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where are you from?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are from Switzerland.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know what we're going to focus on business, Barry.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Switzerland. I love Switzerland. It is one of my favorite countries. I love your Army knives with the toothpicks, and your cheese. Does the cheese come out of the cow with the holes? Our countries are not enemies. They are friends. We are friends.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You have been to Switzerland?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. But I have a friend who drives a Volvo. And I speak a little of your language.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Ah, Steve Carrell, true to form there in "Dinner for Schmucks." Tony, what did you make of that? I mean, we were all falling over just looking at that one 15-second clip.

SCOTT: Well, it's a silly movie. I'm not going to say it's a great or profound, or life-changing movie but it's really funny. I would say, you know, unlike a lot of comedies that start strong and this one just builds and builds. It's got Steve Carrell, Paul Rudd is quite good in it. Zach Galifianakis. It's a lot of funny people being funny for no particular good cause except to get laughs from the audience. And I think it is one of the better comedies of the summer for sure.

ACOSTA: Well, Tony Scott, I wish we could go on and on about this. A B for "Dinner for Schmucks." The clip right there I thought was an A in my book but we all have to judge for ourselves. Tony Scott, always great to hear your take on the films. And I think I almost always agree with you. So appreciate your time for us this afternoon.

SCOTT: Good to be here.

ACOSTA: Thanks for joining us. Appreciate it.

SCOTT: Thanks a lot. It was fun. Thanks.

ACOSTA: Well, illegal immigrants deported from the U.S. leave behind families and hope for a better life. We are along for the ride as they take the long road home. That's coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ACOSTA: We are getting a clearer picture of the army private suspected of releasing secret documents to Wikileaks. CNN's Sandra Endo has more on Bradley Manning.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SANDRA ENDO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Held in solitary confinement at a military base in Quantico, Virginia, Private First Class Bradley Manning is charged with leaking a 2007 air strike video and downloading military documents from classified systems. But now military officials say he is also the main suspect in the investigation of who leaked more than 90,000 documents about the war in Afghanistan to the website Wikileaks.org. A former computer hacker tipped authorities off to Manning.

ADRIAN LAMO, FORMER HACKER: I did not believe that any individual or small group of individuals could vet these documents to a degree sufficient to be able to say they would not result in loss of human life.

ENDO: Military officials said Manning, an intelligence analyst who is based in Iraq, had top secret security clearance giving him access to sensitive information. The 22-year-old grew up in Crescent, Oklahoma. A childhood friend said he was extremely smart and wasn't afraid to speak up.

CHERA MOORE, FRIEND OF MANNING: He was very outspoken, spoke his opinion. Sometimes he would get in heated arguments in class and if he didn't agree with certain things.

ENDO: While authorities home in on Manning, the founder of Wikileaks, Julian Assange hasn't revealed how he got those documents.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: All right. Sandra Endo joins us live from Washington.

Sandra, when do we expect the hearings to take place?

ENDO: Well, Jim, we tried to reach out to the military lawyer representing Manning. We have not heard back for comment. As far as the hearing, though, it could take place as early as next month in a military court here in Washington. With this new investigation under way that timetable may be pushed back, Jim.

ACOSTA: All right, Sandra Endo joining us live in Washington. Thanks, Sandra. Appreciate it.

Northwestern Pakistan has been hit by deadly flooding. At least 800 people are dead in just one province. Take a look at these pictures. Flood waters swept away homes, schools in the Swat Valley. You'll remember that the Swat Valley was the site of major fighting between Taliban and Pakistani troops last year. The Pakistani air force is helping to liberate because many areas are completely cut off.

In Russia, an army of nearly 240,000 people is battling wildfires sweeping across the western part of the country. The fires are burning in 14 regions and have torched more than 300,000 acres. They have killed at least 25 people and left nearly 3,000 people homeless. Russia has been suffering through a record-breaking heat wave which created ideal conditions for wildfires.

In California, no relief there. Firefighters are beginning to get the upper hand, somewhat, on a wildfire burning north of Los Angeles. Late word is that the so-called Crown Fire is 62 percent contained. Authorities lifted the orders and most residents have returned home. Crews say more favorable weather conditions are helping them out.

Let's get the latest now from Jacqui Jeras, she is in our CNN Weather Center.

Jacqui, this heat that we're seeing across the country and I imagine out in Southern California can't be helping matters too much. Although it appears that things are getting a little bit better for those folks out near those wildfires.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You know, weather is the number one factor as to whether or not they will get the fire contained. And the heat is still pretty oppressive across parts of the West and the temperatures are in the mid 90s, there where the fire area is.

The humidity is low and winds are light. And so those light winds helping to make the progress. We do have a lot of active weather across parts of the West. Not just the fire conditions that we have been talking about. But also you can see all of the showers and thundershowers here across the Four Corners. We have had monsoonal rains in the Southwest the last number of days. And that's been causing some flooding.

Check out these pictures from the Nogales, Arizona and southern parts of the state where flood watches -- ooh, look at all that heavy rain pushing through the wash areas, threatening to force some evacuations in the area. There has been a fair amount of flooding in Flagstaff. It has been closing off roadways, and a tornado was reported outside of the Phoenix area on Thursday.

(NATIONAL WEATHER REPORT)

JERAS: We are also watching the tropics, two areas of disturbed weather. This one way out here off the coast of Africa, has some potential for development over the next couple of days. We'll watch it for you. Let you know what happens there.

ACOSTA: We want to keep an eye on that because of all those concerns for the operation of the Gulf to kill that well. We'll have to wait and see how that one develops. Thanks, Jacqui. Appreciate it.

Well, travelers beware. They are creepy. They are crawly. And they are making a move on hotels across the country. The battle against bedbugs coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ACOSTA: Time for a check of our top stories.

The battle over Arizona's tough new immigration law isn't going away anytime soon. A federal appeals court denied Arizona Governor Jan Brewer's request for a quick hearing on the law. The case is now scheduled to be heard in early November. Key provisions were temporarily blocked Wednesday, the day before the law took effect.

Today is a grim anniversary for three American hikers detained in Iran. One year ago today they were arrested along Iran's border with Iraq. Tehran says they crossed the border illegally and accuses them of espionage. Vigils are scheduled across the globe calling for their release. President Obama has echoed that call.

The City of New York is dropping big bucks on a new initiative to combat-bedbugs? Yes, bedbugs. The $500,000 educational campaign will includes a new health department task force. It will also pay for a website designed to teach New Yorkers how to prevent and treat bedbug infestations. What to look for in an exterminator and how to safely dispose of infected items.

Bedbug infestations have been on the rise in New York City affecting apartments, retail stores, schools and hospitals. Bedbugs are making a comeback, but not just in New York City. According to a study this year, bedbug calls increased 81 percent since 2000.

So, how can you protect yourself? Should you protect yourself? Doctor Bill Lloyd is back with us from Sacramento, California, with some tips.

Every day this summer about 2 million Americans are staying in hotels and motels, Doctor Bill, now we hear there is an upsurge in bedbugs. I have been told I can refer to you as Doctor Bill. I hope that's OK. We haven't spoken before.

Doctor Bill, what can you tell us about these critters?

DOCTOR BILL LLOYD, SURGEON, PATHOLOGIST: Good to talk to you, Jim.

Yes, the summer of bedbugs. How many times have you seen a couple necking and you scream out, "Hey, get a room"? Now you scream, "Hey, get a clean room!" Because these bed bugs are small. They are about the size of an apple seed. But they don't carry any infectious diseases. It is true they can bite you and the bite can leave a little irritation the next day. If you have ever woken up and thought, I had a mosquito bite from last night it was probably was a bedbug.

I have a list of some things, simple things, that you can do to protect yourself whenever you are on the road, to protect yourself from these bed bugs. The first thing is check out the room. That means get rid of the bedspread. The bedspread that is probably never cleaned. It could be home for a lot of these bed bugs. Take a close look at the mattress, along the ribbing, the seams and wherever the stitchings are. Go ahead and pull the sheets down. It's worth it taking a look. And if you don't like what you find, go get another room. Check out the bed frame. If there is any upholstered furniture in the room, you are going to want to inspect for bedbugs as well. One important tips is, once you empty your luggage, don't put it under the bed or in the closet, Jim. Put it in the bathroom because those hard tile surfaces repel the bugs. The bugs have not place to stay, they go back to the bedspread, and your luggage is safe.

ACOSTA: Wow, that is a good tip. I hadn't thought about that. And I spend a lot of time on the road in hotel rooms. It makes me wonder whether or not the hotels are doing a good job of cleaning, you know, the sheets, linens, and everything else. Is it because they are being a little too relaxed with that, that we are seeing more of the bedbug infestations pop up?

LLOYD: You know, people want to jump on the hotels, but guess what, when you stay in a hotel what do you want? You want a late checkout. And what about the next party down in the lobby? They want an early check-in. There is not much time for them to properly clean these rooms.

ACOSTA: I want to sleep with no bedbugs. That's the thing I want to do.

LLOYD: All right. Well, the thing is it is the guests that bring the bedbugs into the rooms. The hotels didn't create them. Somebody was there before you and brought those bed bugs in. Important point. when you go home, make sure you don't continue the cycle. Make sure you vacuum out your luggage when you get home and end the cycle of the bedbugs.

People talk about older hotels versus newer hotels. Is one cleaner than the other?

ACOSTA: Well, tell us about some simple precautions we can take to protect ourselves from bedbugs. Is there a bedbug repellant that we should be looking for on our pharmaceutical shelves here? Yes, no?

LLOYD: No, no repellant. There are a couple of things you can do. If you are a real germa-phobe you can bring your own sheets. Bring one queen-sized sheet and throw it over the entire bed after you get rid of the bedspread, of course. It you want, you can wear pajamas. Be sure you wear a light pair of socks, as well, to protect your body surfaces.

If you do get a bite you can rub a little toothpaste on it to get rid of the irritation. There are no medications per se to protect you from bed bugs. But inspecting your room before hand is the most important thing you can do to protect yourself from getting a bedbug bite.

ACOSTA: Anything else we need to know? This is serious business. What else do we need to know?

LLOYD: I'm not so worried about infectious diseases from the bedbugs, but this whole story illuminates the issue of hotel sanitation. When you get into a hotel room, you want to check out and make sure they did a proper job.

Just one example, the favorite, the ice bucket. Jim, I have news for you, ice buckets in hotel rooms are used for everything else besides ice. Stay away from it.

ACOSTA: Where did that ice go?

LLOYD: The remote control, it's filthy. The viruses can stay for 24 hours. Bring a disinfectant wipe, if you would like, and protect yourself when you are in the hotel.

ACOSTA: All right. Well, Doctor Bill, those are great tips. Those bedbugs are nasty. That is great advice on how to deal with those little guys and some stuff I hadn't heard before. I consider myself a bit of a road warrior, somebody who knows how to travel. Doctor Bill, thanks for the tips. Appreciate it.

LLOYD: We'll talk again soon.

ACOSTA: Sounds good.

Earlier this hour we started the story of some illegal immigrants deported from the United States. Just ahead, the flight back to El Salvador.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ACOSTA: Imagine this, deported from the United States. Illegal immigrants making the bittersweet journey back to their home country. CNN's Adrian Baschuk continues on his 18-hour journey.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ADRIAN BASCHUK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's been a long night for these detainees. They were processed out from the South Texas detention complex, outside San Antonio. And are now pulling up to board this government-contracted plane, going home.

You can see the skyline that I'm looking at. It's just after sunrise, it is 6:25 in the morning. We are going to board the flight now.

A privately contracted security firm ACAP (ph) and its agents sweep the plane. They carry no weapons. Sixteen women are joining the flight and are summarily searched, one by one.

ROLAND PASTRANO, ICE HQ FLIGHT OPERATIONS UNIT SUPERVISOR: As detainees come off the buses what we're doing is we are searching each of them, making sure they have no contraband on their person.

BASCHUK: This is what the journey looks like from the detainee's perspective. Stop and get searched by an ICE officer and then aboard the flight.

(SPEAKING SPANISH, ON-SCREEN TRANSLATION) How do you feel?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (SPEAKING SPANISH, ON-SCREEN TRANSLATION): I feel like bad. I'm out. I'm back to my country.

BASCHUK: He's not looking as happy as he did before. From San Antonio it's a puddle jump here to Harland (ph),Texas, where we pick up the final load of 65 more, 10 women, 55 men.

It's a gorgeous view out the window, but the captain tells us we can expect some turbulence later on in the ride, which is particularly bad news for these passengers because ICE tells us that for many of them it's their first time on an airplane.

I'm asking him to look out the window. I mean this is his first time in a plane, obviously this high up, he says he's not scared. I don't know. The look in his eyes kind of says otherwise.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (SPEAKING SPANISH, ON SCREEN TRANSLATION): Six of us came on feet and we all got caught. You know, we couldn't get in.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (SPEAKING SPANISH, ON SCREEN TRANSLATION): The only chance I have is my wife and kids that one day could help me return.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (SPEAKING SPANISH, ON SCREEN TRANSLATION): Now it's going to be a lot tougher for us to enter.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (SPEAKING SPANISH, ON SCREEN TRANSLATION): If not, then I better stay in my country, working.

BASCHUK: (SPEAKING SPANISH, ON SCREEN TRANSLATION): Will she move for you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (SPEAKING SPANISH, ON SCREEN TRANSLATION): Yes, I think that she'd come and live with me. That is if she loves me. If not, then nope.

BASCHUK: Finally, home. A picturesque descent banking along El Salvador's Pacific Coast.

They are about to start the offloading process which signifies the official repatriation of the detainees.

BUSCHUK (SPEAKING SPANISH, ON SCREEN TRANSLATION): So, how's it going? (ON SCREEN TRANSLATION UNINTELLIGIBLE)

BASCHUK: It's interesting. We followed their whole journey. It's kind of a bittersweet feeling. You don't know what will happens to them, but you wonder what's going to happen to them. They each said they are not going to try to come back. But you know that might be a half truth. The El Salvadoran repatriation official let me into the welcome back ceremony to take a few still shots.

(SPEAKING SPANISH, ON SCREEN TRANSLATION) You want them to stay right?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, here we are offering them a series of services (ph) that they have options (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

BASCHUK: Smiles aside, it's a stark reminder that they have just been repatriated, deported from the one place they want to call home. Adrian Baschuk, CNN, San Salvador.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: Wedding bells are ringing for one of America's first daughters. We are live near the venue where Chelsea Clinton will soon be saying "I do."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ACOSTA: Well, by now the flowers are arranged, the champagne's on ice, the cake is decorated and the movers and shakers are arriving for Chelsea Clinton's big day. That is right. She's getting married today. Her wedding to Marc Mezvinsky is scheduled for this evening in Rhinebeck, New York. We have been trying to get our Susan Candiotti on the phone, but she can't be here on time with us.

So, want to turn now to Jacqui Jeras in the CNN Weather Center.

I guess one of the things we'd like to know for the whole Clinton family up there, is just how the weather is going to be. Are they going to have a nice evening up there? It's hot all over the country. Maybe it's cooler up there?

JERAS: It is a little cooler up north. Not the worst heat they have had. That's good news. No rain in the forecast. That should be good. Humidity is a little bit high. I'm not sure what that will do to her hair.

(NATIONAL WEATHER REPORT)

ACOSTA: I can tell from the map there is a little H, a little sunshine over New York State.

JERAS: There it is.

ACOSTA: I think the Clinton family is looking good tonight for the big wedding for Chelsea Clinton. Of course, we wish them all the best.

We should mention that we were hoping to get Susan Candiotti live at the end of this hour. She'll be live in the next hour once we straighten out some technical problems that she is having up there. So, stick around for that.

In the meantime, coming up next in the CNN NEWSROOM with Don Lemon, can the U.S. really the lead in ridding the world of nuclear weapons? "Countdown To Zero" is a new documentary on the subject. We will talk the film's director.

And they were supposed to be serving sentences of 15 years to life, but three convicted murders are on the run tonight. CNN NEWSROOM at 5:00 is coming up next.

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