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Cleaning up the Gulf; Floods Devastate Pakistan; Black Leaders Investigated; After Your 99 Weeks are Up; Disabled American Veterans; Disabled American Veterans; NABJ Journalist of the Year; The Future of Military Technology
Aired August 01, 2010 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: In the Gulf of Mexico, it is day 104 of the B.P. oil disaster. Just a short time ago, B.P. chief operating officer, Doug Suttles, completed a three-hour boat tour of cleanup operations along the Louisiana coast. At a news conference, Suttles pledged B.P. workers would stay in the gulf, stay in the marshes and the beaches, until all the oil is gone.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DOUG SUTTLES, CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, B.P.: We have a planning team and these people actually look and see what we observe every day and dispatch our resources based on that.
And again, the situation goes move day to day. We have oil show up in some places. If you're near the marsh sometimes it warms up like it is now. Some of the oil that's in the marsh will come out on the tide and we have to be there to get it.
So we allocate our resources. In fact, Fred and the commander do that every single day. They map out what they see and put the resources where the oil is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Well, Suttles tour came with amid sharp criticisms from a Congressional subcommittee that alleges BP abused the use of toxic chemicals to fight that spill.
Massachusetts Democrat Ed Markey accused BP of quote, "carpet- bombing the ocean with dispersants." But National Incident Commander, Thad Allen brushed that aside saying the federal government was in charge and regulated how much dispersant BP was allowed to use.
Our Jim Acosta joins us now live from Venice, Louisiana with the very latest on that. He was down in Venice when Mr. Suttles is there.
So Jim, BP and Thad Allen defending the dispersants; I think Suttles says as well, saying they kept much of the oil from the coast. But what will they do to the food chain? And that's a big question.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That is a big question down here, Don. And just a couple of days ago commercial fishing in Louisiana was reopened. A decision was made by the State of Louisiana (AUDIO GAP 01.31) about these waters by and large.
LEMON: All right. We're apparently having a problem there with Jim Acosta with his signal down there in -- in Venice, Louisiana; Jim Acosta, covering of course the story in the Gulf of Mexico.
But why don't we listen now to Doug Suttles, a press conference he held a short time ago down in Louisiana and talking about the dispersants. And talking about how safe the food and the seafood or whatever that comes for the Gulf are.
Let's take a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SUTTLES: There's been a tremendous amount of testing done by -- by NOAA and the state agencies and the FDA and others. And they're not going to open these waters to -- to the sport fishing or commercial fishing if it's not safe to eat the fish.
I have a lot of confidence in those agencies. And I trust their recommendations. And I would eat their food, the seafood out of the Gulf here and I would feed it to my family.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: And of course, they also talked about that "static kill" operation that looks underway to plug that leak for good and the relief wells as well.
Our Jim Acosta is standing by and we'll have more updates for you in this broadcast as well as tonight at 10:00 p.m. Eastern here on CNN.
Meantime, in Gulf Shores, Alabama the swimming advisory has finally have been lifted at the beaches. That's welcome news for local businesses. More tourists are showing up to play in the waves. Again, good news, but it's probably too late though, to save the summer season.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUD MORRIS, ORIGINAL OYSTER HOUSE: It's certainly not going to salvage the season -- our season. But we appreciate all the business that we do get -- that we will get from it.
SHAUL ZISLIN, OWNER, THE HANGOUT: Unfortunately, you know I think a lot of people are just not here. Made their plans a long time ago, didn't show up. And we're hoping that the closer people in our surroundings areas will come down and enjoy it. It's been a while since everybody enjoy the beach here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: One bar owner tells CNN he lost half his business this summer due to the oil disaster. Now to a developing story: devastating floods in Pakistan. Pakistani government officials tell CNN more than 1,100 people had been killed by floods in the northwestern part of the country. The United Nations says 30,000 people are stranded and more than one million people are affected.
The U.S. Embassy in Islamabad says it is providing immediate aid including two water filtration unit, more than 50,000 meals, and helicopters that helped rescued 400 people from flooded areas yesterday.
CNN's Reza Sayah is in Pakistan.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The wet and muddy planks of wood were twice her size, but 8-year-old Moniba (ph) wasn't about to let them slip away.
"Our house washed away, and I'm finding wood," she said. Wood her family plans to use as they build a new place to live. Like tens of thousands of others, Moniba lost her home in the worst floods ever to hit northwest Pakistan.
Set off by record breaking monsoon rains, the water leveled entire villages. The mud houses in this settlement never had a chance. With no one to help and nowhere to go the villagers pitched tents at this nearby graveyard. For now this is home.
EKRAM SAFI, FLOOD VICTIM: We have no medicine for us, we have no water for us, we have no meal for us. But we don't have anything.
SAYAH: A family of 35 used to call this place home. The decision now: move or rebuild.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the first time in my life that I am looking dead spot of disaster.
LIAQAT ALI, FLOOD VICTIM (through translator): There is no food. We left it inside the houses. We had nothing. We took refuge in a mosque and prayed for God's help. There was nothing to eat for almost 48 hours. We were neck deep in water with women and children standing almost naked.
SAYAH: The government insists it's doing what it can to bring relief to the victims. But in the villages near Charsadda (ph) two hours west of Islamabad, there was no sign of help from the government or aide groups. Local villagers recovered the dead themselves.
In area roads entire families walked often barefoot with the few items they had left.
UMER SAEED, FLOOD VICTIM: Looking on the TV the government has -- the government says that there 200 (INAUDIBLE) are coming from Karachi and there is still nothing. SAYAH (on camera): Why haven't relief crews have been able to get to some of the victims? This is a big reason. This is one of the bridges on the motorway, the major highway collecting Islamabad, the federal capital east to Peshawar and other villages west. And as you can see, the floodwaters have completely demolished it.
(voice-over): With the bridge down traffic to Peshawar, the biggest nearby city was backed up for hours. No one seemed to be moving. Not even brides and grooms.
With scorching temperatures and little food or water, frustration has set in. Villagers threw mud at pictures of their local government officials. The same mud that buried their homes, it's their way of saying get us help now.
Reza Sayah, CNN, Charsadda, Pakistan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Just ahead this hour in CNN: they are called 99ers, Americans who lost their jobs and collected unemployment benefits for nearly two years. Should those benefits continue, or is two years about really enough time to find a new job? The debate underway in Washington.
And NATO allied forces pulling out of Afghanistan. What will that mean for U.S. troops and their battle against the Taliban? But first --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
REP. CHARLIE RANGEL (D), NEW YORK: Even though they are serious charges. I'm prepared to prove that the only thing I've ever had in my 50 years of public service is service. That's what I've done.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Congressman Charlie Rangel under growing pressure from lawmakers to resign. Is the President among one of them? That's next.
And don't just sit there we want to hear from you. We want you to be part of the conversation tonight on this broadcast always, always. Send me a message on Twitter and on Facebook. Check out our blog, CNN.com/don. We're also on Foursquare. Foursquare.com and go on there and check it out. And they'll explain to you what it is.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: You know, the hot seat is getting warmer for Congressman Charlie Rangel of New York. He served New York's Harlem area for 39 years.
This week Rangel learned the House Ethics Committee is charging him with 13 counts -- 13 counts. The accusations include, misusing House letterhead and other resources, taking favors and failing to disclose income from 1998 to 2007.
And now it appears the President and the Speaker of the House are putting pressure on the Congressman to maintain the public's trust.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think Charlie Rangel served a very long time and served his constituents very well. But these allegations are very troubling. And you know he's somebody who is at the end of his career, 80 years old. I'm sure that what he wants is to be able to end his career with dignity. And my hope is that it happens.
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D), HOUSE SPEAKER: I said we'll drain the swamp and we did. We passed the most sweeping ethics reform in history of the Congress. Any personal respect and affection you may have for people makes us sad about the course of events but we have to pull the highest ethical standard. And what we have done is they wait and see what the committee decides.
I respect what they do -- I'm totally out of the loop. It is independent. It is confidential, classified, secret, whatever. We don't know what it is. But we do respect the work that the members of the committee do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Congressman Rangel was the first African-American chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee. About an hour ago the Reverend Al Sharpton came to Rangel's defense discussing the fact that some of the tactics to investigate the Congressman are rarely used.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REV. AL SHARPTON, NATIONAL ACTION NETWORK: You've got to remember what was most interesting to me, Don, is when they said that they were offering Congressman Rangel a reprimand. Among the lightest things you can offer.
So if he is really guilty of all these egregious acts, why are you offering such a light penalty to what you're claiming is 13 violations? So I think that what many see as they are hurting the midterm elections could be a backlash against those that are pushing this if in fact, they go to trial and are vindicated.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: I want to bring in now our political editor, senior political editor, Mr. Mark Preston. Mark good to see you.
So you know there's Charlie Rangel and we've talked about that and let's not forget Congresswoman Maxine Waters as well, also African-American, also under investigation. And a source tells CNN that she has chosen to face an ethics trial related to claims involving federal aid to a bank which has ties to both her and her husband.
Some African-Americans aren't happy that two such high-profile black leaders are facing such tough scrutiny. And of course, you heard the Reverend Al Sharpton saying innocent until proven guilty. Let's see how these all plays out.
What is really at stake here? What's going on here?
MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: Well, a couple of things. You know, we heard Nancy Pelosi just say Don that she came here and she talked about draining the swamp.
You know part of the reason why Democrats were elected into the majority in Congress here in 2006 was the fact that they said they were going to do things differently in Washington. Part of the reason Barack Obama was elected in 2008 is because he said he was going to change things in Washington.
So here you have it. You have these two members of Congress who clearly have some ethical issues that they need to clear up. This Rangel investigation has been going on for a very long time.
And I think that Nancy Pelosi walked a very fine line there when she did that interview earlier where she said, look, I have nothing to do with this, I need to step back.
This is going to hurt, Don. Don, this is definitely going to hurt Democrats going into November because Republicans can turn around and say look, you know, you talked about draining the swamp. And you have your own ethical issues.
At the same time you have Nancy Pelosi and of course President Obama right there saying as well. Look, they need to do something about this --
LEMON: Yes and --
(CROSS TALKING)
PRESTON: -- Charlie Rangel.
LEMON: And it's interesting -- so you're going to have Charlie Rangel and then right after that on the heels of that you will have Maxine Waters and all of this as you said playing -- playing out during November.
I -- you know, I don't want to read anything, read anything into what the President said, when he said, "I hope he ends his career with dignity." I mean, is there anything to be read into that? It seems pretty plain to me?
PRESTON: Right. I mean -- well, I mean certainly not a boost of confidence by the president for Mr. Rangel. But you know, Don, just before I came on set here to talk to you, I was talking to a Democratic strategist in town who's been here for a very long time. And this strategist said, you know something, Nancy Pelosi was laying a trap when she said she was going to come in and really drain the swamp in Washington. And quite frankly, she's going to catch a lot of Democrats on both sides of the aisle.
You have Republicans and Democrats who have been here a very long time, who have been operating under their own rules.
LEMON: Yes.
PRESTON: Well, the rules are starting to change now.
LEMON: Yes. It's not, you know, just one party. Both parties have problems but the thing here though, one thing they're both African-American and people are crying foul saying, you know, racism and it's a tact not used. But as you said, the key thing here is November, November -- it's the timing of this.
Let's turn now to the Republicans. You mentioned both sides of the aisle. RNC announced that fund-raiser featuring Andrew Breitbart, the conservative blogger who sparked the whole controversy over the past couple of weeks with Shirley Sherrod in the video clip that he -- I understand that you have some news about that.
PRESTON: Yes. Well, Don, you know Andrew Breitbart who, of course, really sparked that controversy. In fact, you spoke to Miss Sherrod about just it a few days ago. The fact is the RNC was going to hold a fund-raiser with this conservative blogger. He's very well beloved amongst conservatives throughout the country.
However, the RNC has now canceled that fund-raiser, Don. Now, they tell me they're canceling that fund-raiser because it doesn't make sense to have it in the next couple of weeks out in California. August is not traditionally a good time to raise money; they said they're going to have a California fund-raiser post Labor Day. Now, whether or not Mr. Breitbart will be part of that, we don't know, but the RNC clearly trying to distance itself right now from the whole Andrew Breitbart controversy.
LEMON: Mark, I'm going to save something for us at 10:00 tonight involving Sarah Palin. She really took a shot at the President this morning. I heard it. I went, whoa, I can't believe she said that. She said it.
Let's discuss at 10:00. Ok?
PRESTON: Sounds good.
LEMON: Thank you sir.
PRESTON: Thanks Don.
LEMON: One down, two to go. Police continue a massive man hunt for escaped murders on the loose.
And the WikiLeaks scandal gets, well, even more scandalous. The leaking of thousands of top secret military documents now linked to a graduate of one of the country's most prestigious schools.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: You've probably heard the term 99er batted around in the debate over jobs. It refers to people who have maxed out their 99 weeks of unemployment benefits. Some are pushing Congress for another extension. But our Lisa Desjardins introduces us to one 99er who'd had mixed feelings about getting back on the public dime.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LISA DESJARDINS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This small building in Washington is an economic survival camp. The Opportunities Industrialization Center runs an intensive program of job placement.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And these are the positions that they're currently hiring for.
DESJARDINS: And job training. It's how Alfreda Ray hopes to survive. Two years ago she was laid off and then one month ago her unemployment benefits ran out. She's a 99er. 99 weeks of checks are over.
ALFREDA RAY, OUT OF BENEFITS: I wish they would extend it because it is of great help. It is a great help when you don't have any food stamps and you have rent to pay and you want to keep your phone on.
DESJARDINS (on camera): Ray is one of estimated 1.5 million Americans who will max out on unemployment benefits this is year.
Here's how that works. It depends on your state but the majority, here in red, cut off benefits after 99 weeks. That's the absolute max. So-called 99ers are pushing for more benefits for everyone in all states. That raises a complicated debate over how long unemployment benefits should last.
RAY: The benefits is nice. It did hinder me, though, very much. It did hinder me very much.
DESJARDINS (voice-over): Ray says while she received the checks, she was depressed. She moped around. She didn't do her hair. Losing the benefits, she says, pushed her into gear. And she's blossoming here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When you're going to upload your resume what must be done first?
DESJARDINS: But here's the thing. Staff at the center says that most of the people they see desperately need those checks.
DYANNE HORNER LITTLE, PROGRAM DIRECTOR, OPPORTUNITIES INDUSTRIALIZATION CENTER: The people that we're serving, it's helping them to stay alive, to just make it. DESJARDINS: Indeed Ray has no phone service, but she does get e- mail at the center. She would like six more months of benefits. But without it she's more determined than ever to find a job.
RAY: I'm just going to keep grinding the mill and helping people and let people help me.
DESJARDINS: Lisa Desjardins, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: A pretty bleak picture right now if you're out of work and looking for a job. According to the latest numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 14.6 million people are currently unemployed. The number of long-term unemployed is 6.8 million; those are people who haven't had a job in 27 weeks or more.
Let's check your top stories right now.
Former vice president Dick Cheney is still in a Washington hospital, but he's out of intensive care. His daughter Liz tells Fox News he's doing well and may be allowed to go home later this week.
Cheney has a history of heart problems including five heart attacks. Last month doctors implanted a small pump in his heart, a procedure reserved for the most severe cases.
In California, firefighters are getting the upper hand finally on a wildfire burning near Palmdale north of Los Angeles. The so-called crown fire is now 87 percent contained. The blaze scorched nearly 14,000 acres in the Antelope Valley and destroyed four homes.
Evacuation orders have been eased and people are returning to their homes now. An army of some 1,300 firefighters managed to knock down that fire.
The Netherlands today became the first NATO ally to pull its combat troops out of Afghanistan. The Dutch command officially handed over its mission to U.S. and Australian troops. At one time the Netherlands had 2,000 combat troops in the country, 24 were killed, 140 others were wounded during a four-year mission. In February, opposition to the Afghan war brought down the ruling coalition in the Netherlands.
Turning now to the massive leak of classified military documents: an MIT graduated admits he met Private Bradley Manning at MIT back in January when Manning was on leave. Manning is the suspected source of the leak. The grad says he and Manning exchanged a number of e-mails about computer security, but says he had nothing to do with leaking the documents.
He also says army investigators interviewed him about Manning several months ago. Manning, who was arrested in May, is now in solitary confinement in Quantico, Virginia.
One escaped murder from Arizona is back in custody now, but two others are still on the loose. Investigators say they caught up with Daniel Renwick in Rifle, Colorado. Renwick is one of three men who broke out of a medium security prison in Kingman, Arizona Friday night by cutting a hole in the fence.
The manhunt is on for the two other men, Tracy Province and John McCluskey -- excuse me. Police are also looking for this woman, a suspected accomplice. The fugitives allegedly hijacked an 18-wheeler and abducted the two drivers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRABHJEET BAINS, TRUCK DRIVER: The two males and the one female, they pull us over at gunpoint. They tried to kill us. Finally, they drove us over her from Kingman to collect stuff. Finally they changed their minds, they didn't kill us. They left us here. And we are good.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Police now have an eye out for this car and they want you to have one as well -- a blue 1996 Chrysler Concord four-door sedan, look at it closely. They say the suspected accomplice may have drove (SIC) this to the prison. Look for that car.
The President will speak tomorrow before hundreds of military men and women suffering permanent injuries from tours. We'll look at what they say should be the top of his agenda.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: It was founded 90 years ago, but the group Disabled American Veterans is as needed, as critical today as they were back in 1920. The DAV advocates for the 3 million men and women who have become disabled while serving our country. Tomorrow President Barack Obama will speak at the DAV convention taking place in Atlanta.
Joining us right now is Patricia Ruiz. She's a combat Marine veteran of three tours in Iraq -- three tours, wow. She is now a national service officer for the organization. Thanks you for joining us. And also you see that gentleman right there sitting next to her, Robert Barrera -- he prefers to be called Bobby. Bobby is the national commander of the Disabled American Veterans. While serving in Vietnam, I want to tell you, an explosion caused him to lose his right hand and left arm and burned much of his face.
Thanks to both of you for joining us. We really appreciate your service to the country.
PATRICIA RUIZ, NATIONAL SERVICE OFFICER, DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS: Thank you.
LEMON: Bobby, what do you want to hear from the President tomorrow?
ROBERT BARRERA, NATIONAL COMMANDER, DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS: What I want to hear is what he has given us in the last year. When he was in the Senate after he was campaigning for the presidency, he made a commitment to veterans to pay back, to honor what they have given in defense of our country.
And he's lived up to that. And he's passed several pieces of legislation with the help of Congress that have been vital to what we as disabled veterans, to what our country's disabled veterans have earned. And that's what we want to hear continue. And also, the opportunity to thank him for all that he's done for us.
LEMON: All right. Patricia, I'll ask you the same question. What do you want to hear?
RUIZ: You know, I have to say I want to know -- he's done so much already. Much more is going to happen with so many injuries that are coming back such as traumatic brain injury that are on the rise, PTSD. So many people are not aware of it. And so many disabled veterans don't know of all the benefits that they are entitled to.
So, I just want to make sure that everyone knows. Not just the 1.4 million members that we serve but every disabled veteran that they should know about traumatic brain injuries that they may have been exposed to.
LEMON: And you guys know we are fighting two wars now. Bobby, this is a new era for disabled veterans because more and more are coming home with injuries that would have killed them, you know, 20 years ago and they're living.
Medical technology saved a lot of them but they're seriously disabled. What do you think about the new strides that we have made and would you like to see more from the government to addressing this problem especially PTSD, we've been talking a lot about the suicides (INAUDIBLE).
BARRERA: And you're correct, you alluded to the fact that survival rate now is certainly more significant than when I served in Vietnam. So the length of time it's going to require, the intensity of the service that they need, it will become critical.
When a 20-year-old gets injured today, for the next 60 or 70 years, he's going to be using the services of the veterans affairs. So that is one of the things that we need to focus on, is make sure that the services, make sure that the funding, make sure that the care that they deserve is available.
And that is where our president, that is where our Congress comes in, and our job as members of the Disabled American Veterans is to inform the public, make them aware these heroes deserve to be treated as what they are. Heroes.
LEMON: You know, on the surface and the ceremony, you know, we treat veterans very well. When you're on an airplane, they announce Iraq war veterans. Someone is on. And there's always applause or if you're at an event, they do that. How do you think that veterans are treated now? Do you think they are getting the treatment that they need? Do you think that they're getting the biggest chance that they have to live a normal life after they come back from war?
BARRERA: I think the treatment that they are receiving now is certainly way above what the returning Vietnam veterans received. But I think that we should never reach a point that we're satisfied with the treatment, with the availability, the benefits that they've entitled to. And again, the impact when you mention traumatic brain injuries, multiple entities as they're happening now, and that they're surviving. The services are going to be required for a long time a year.
Another component of that is the family members, the caregivers, the family caregivers. They're making a heck of a commitment. As I travel throughout the country visiting hospitals, always by the bedside is a family member. Be it a mom, a spouse, a sister, someone is there. And that is something that we didn't experience completely during the Vietnam war.
LEMON: I wish I can remember his name. You see, a couple of weeks ago, the "New York Times," it's a fourth of July weekend that the story on the vet who lost his legs, he almost died and it was an amazing story of this young man and his brother now lives with him and is helping him as well. Amazing story. It's unbelievable what you guys do. I didn't do it. My dad served this country. My sister served this country. So we appreciate what you do.
I want to ask you, what can people do if they want to go and help veterans right now? You're web site (INAUDIBLE) where can they donate money or even volunteer?
PATRICIA RUIZ, DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS: You know, and I think the biggest thing that they can help is word of mouth. The DAV is the number one organization for advocating for disabled veterans and the reason why is because every national service officer is a disabled vet. We can honestly sit across the table and say that we understand what it was like to be in the military, to have injuries. And donating to our organization. And it's not so much about the money that's being donated.
But when we have more than 1.4 million members and our lobbyists can go to Congress and say this is how many members we have. That's what is going to change the law. That is what's going to get better benefits for veterans.
LEMON: Yes. Thank you so much for your service.
RUIZ: Thank you.
LEMON: Thank you for coming on. Thank you, sir. We appreciate you. We appreciate your service. Thank you. We really do. God bless you.
RUIZ: Thank you.
LEMON: Just ahead here on CNN, does the U.S. have a plan to attack Iran? We'll hear from the chairman of the joint chief of staffs. And more than two dozen dead, thousands of people now homeless from raging wildfires. Part of the world you may not think about having these dangerous conditions.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: What a night for CNN's very own Soledad O'Brien. That's her right there accepting the journalist of the year award last night from the National Association of Black Journalists, one of the most prestigious journalism groups in the country. Shortly before the award ceremony began, I had the chance to talk with her about what this honor means.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT: I am so excited. And this is probably the only award in my whole life that my children have a clue what it's all about. They're like, "wow, mom, journalist of the year. That's big." You know, they're pretty little. So it felt good that they were impressed.
LEMON: Listen, we were trying to - I was thinking - Don, you're going to talk to Soledad, what are you going to talk about? I said let's talk about everything she's done this year. You see, I remember, I think it was last year, you and I, we hadn't seen each other and we bumped into each other at an airplane and we work at the same place but you know, the only time we see each was on an airplane.
So you did - let's see, you were in Haiti, "The Atlanta Child Murders," "Black in America 2," "Gary and Tony Have a Baby," you did something on New Orleans. And this is what you're being honored for. What else did you do? Can you even remember?
O'BRIEN: Gosh, I think the things that probably make me most proud have been to work on some of the documentaries about Martin Luther King, Jr., mostly because I've had an opportunity to sit down with civil rights legends, and when you shoot a documentary, as you well know, you know, you interview people for two and three hours.
So to sit down with Andrew Young and to talk to him for three hours about the day that Dr. King died or Dorothy Cotton, to sit down with Fred Gray who was Rosa Parks' attorney. You know, those are really amazing. I felt very privileged to just be able to sit in the same room and ask any question I wanted to for the next couple of hours. So you know, I think that those are, in a lot of ways, some of the most meaningful.
I've held on to the transcripts, you know, because I know those stories don't get told a lot and those folks are getting older. You don't get to really hear their stories very much.
LEMON: It's good to know that I'm not the only one who does that. I think, why do I still have the transcripts from James Brown? You know what I mean. So we were talking -
O'BRIEN: Right. Right.
LEMON: As you were talking, we were showing Myron Rolle there and I want to talk to you about that - but go ahead and talk about this.
O'BRIEN: Wonderful young man. Well, you know, what I love about Myron, we did a great story for him for Anderson "AC 360" where we looked at his opportunities. We first met him - here's a young man who both wants to be a surgeon but also wanted to play professional ball.
And what an incredible role model, which is a word that sometimes I think is overused but he is such a solid, smart kid and to sit down and talk to him, one of his biggest struggles, as you know because I know you know his family, and you've interviewed him before, has been to convince people during the draft that he's really focused on football.
So you know, I think again, I have a chance to sit down and talk to really inspiring and interesting people. It kind of makes it a great gig.
LEMON: As a mom, Haiti, the children?
O'BRIEN: I was just back there the other day with my daughter. I took Sofia (ph), who is now nine, and we went to volunteer at an orphanage. It was amazing. I tell you. I think Haiti is a hard place for parents to take their kids. But I would encourage every parent out there to drag that child when they're about eight or nine and start bringing them to do things, whether it's in your own community, another nearby community, somewhere far away, and make them understand that we're all part of the same greater community than an individual can make an impact in the world.
Really just holding a baby for a couple of hours, that is contributing something and a nine year old can do that. So we had great trip.
LEMON: I bet.
O'BRIEN: We bonded a lot and she fell in love with the people of Haiti just as I have.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Congratulations, Soledad. Journalist of the year from NABJ, National Association of Black Journalists.
Going green at the racetrack.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All the cameras, the lights, the water pump, the heaters, the air conditionings, all the computers. All those tools, electrical tools they're using are plugged into our outlets
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: A Nascar track owner making a big investment to cut expenses, help the local community and save the earth.
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LEMON: I want to check your top stories right now. The U.S. military is prepared to attack Iran if it ever comes to that. Joint Chiefs Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen doesn't want to see it happen, but he tells NBC that the U.S. will not be caught off guard, if the time ever comes.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If forced against Iran by the United States on the table in a way that it's not been, even in our recent history past six months, a year.
ADM. MIKE MULLEN, JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN: No, I think the military options have been on the table and remain on the table. Again, I hope we don't get to that but it's an important option. It's one that's well understood.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But the military has a plan and it should have come to that?
MULLEN: We do.
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LEMON: In Russia, officials say firefighters are starting to gain control over hundreds of wildfires burning across western Russia. About half those fires have now been extinguished or contained. At least 28 people are dead, including two firefighters. Russia is suffering through a record breaking heat wave, which has caused the land to dry out and (INAUDIBLE) all across central Russia to catch fire.
The National Hurricane Center is keeping a nervous eye on a weather disturbance in the eastern Atlantic. It says there's an 80 percent chance the storm could develop into a tropical depression in the next 24 to 48 hours. It's still a long way out to sea, though. Computer models have it tracking towards the lesser Antilles but after that, it's still anybody's guess. Stay tuned. Our Jacqui Jeras, our meteorologist here on CNN will follow that for you.
A Nascar race. It's not the most environmentally friendly competition, right? Think about it. It's all about burning gas for sport. But the Pennsylvania racetrack where today's race took place is bucking the image, boosting the world's largest solar powered stadium. CNN photojournalist Jeremy Harlan has that story.
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DR. JOSEPH "DOC" MATTIOLI, CEO, POCONO RACEWAY: All the cameras, the lights, the water pumps, the heaters, the air conditioners, all the computers that are running, all those tools, electrical tools they're using are plugged into our outlets. $700,000 a year is what our electric bill is.
We started thinking about it about five years ago. I read about solar energy and I had the idea of putting panels on top of our grand stand, the building and all our garage buildings. When I investigated, that wouldn't fly
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Doc Mattioli, the owner here say, "Hey, (INAUDIBLE) parking lot we're not using anymore, can we reconfigure, you know, our parking area?
MATTIOLI: One thing led to another. And I borrowed some money from my wife. And went ahead and did it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the largest solar project, largest (INAUDIBLE) project of any stadium, anywhere in the world. Not just America, but the world. We're the largest solar plant in Pennsylvania. 10th largest in the country. 39,960 panels. American made. Panels from Ohio, sitting on Oregon timbers and California steel.
If you're plugged into an outlet, you're using solar energy.
This system will generate about 3.6 to 3.8 million kilowatt hours.
MATTIOLI: We only need one meg for the track. That means two megs are all extra.
The rest of it is being put back in the grid and helping the community. The sun comes up every morning. We're making power when the sun comes out, whether it's a cloudy day or a rainy day. A beautiful sunny day like this, we're making power.
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LEMON: Very nice. Saving American lives through amazing technology. A look at a new military innovation that would make "Iron Man" jealous.
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LEMON: If you're still marveling over innovations like the iPad, and 3-D television, well you should see the technology being developed for the military.
The Army recently gave the world a look at its new robotic tentacle manipulator, which uses so-called snake-bots. The idea is to slip these into tight spaces to handle things like explosives, so soldiers don't have to risk their lives. Sounds pretty promising. That would be good.
And that's just one of the amazing gadgets in the military's arsenal. There she is. Put her up, the tech whiz kid, Katie Linendoll is here to tell us more about it. Katie, good to see you. Doing OK?
KATIE LINENDOLL, TECH WHIZ: Doing well.
LEMON: You got rid of that "Green Lantern" outfit and everything worked out, right?
LINENDOLL: Yes, but let me tell you. It was a hit on chat roulette. Hit. Yes. LEMON: You are - all right. Let's move on. Tell me about this thing called the pack bot.
LINENDOLL: Yes. Let's start with these military technologies. Because what a lot of people don't realize is, listen, it took thousands of years to get from the bow and arrow to the battering ram. Now there's technologies in the last decade that are truly remarkable.
And let's start out with that pack bot, from the makers of I-robot that makes the rumba (ph) comes the packbot. There are over 3,000 I- robot packbots that are actually delivered to military civil and defense forces across the globe. And what they're job is actually to get in the line of fire. They have been in the Twin Towers as part of search and recovery issues.
They've helped out looking around corners for snipers so soldiers don't have to do it. They also help in hostage situations. And they can also go in Iraq and Afghanistan and cut the wires on bombs, defusing them. So really these guys have really become celebrities in the battlefield. They even have their own Facebook page.
LEMON: Wow.
LINENDOLL: Because as you can imagine, they've helped save thousands of soldiers' lives. But it's cool, too. Because iRobot, of course, makes the rumba. The little robotic vacuum. And now here they are making these remarkable military technologies.
LEMON: That is pretty amazing. We'll talk about the vacuum robot. I had my issues with that. But besides frightening me in the middle of the night. Listen, there's some other technology. What is big dog robot that my producer is talking about?
LINENDOLL: Yes, let's just start - they are crazy technology. This is favorite here. This is Big Dog. And this is the earth's most high-tech all terrain robot. This is the size of a small mule. It's a headless exoskeleton. And believe it or not, it can carry a weight of up to 340 pounds. It's 2 1/2 feet tall. And what's awesome is it can go on snow terrain. It can go on mountain terrain. It can go on ice. It can go on water.
And what it does is it's carrying those heavy loads so the soldiers don't have to do it. If I saw something like this, I'm totally freaking out. But the crazier part about it is, this is Big Dog. This isn't new technology. It's actually been out for a few years. They're working on a larger big dog called LS3. And what that will do is it'll carry weight loads up to 400 pounds. And again this one will be GPS based and computer censored. So it can actually follow the pack. Right now Big Dog is actually worked out of remote control so somebody have to be operated. LS3 which they hope to have out by 2012 will actually be self-contained and move on its own.
LEMON: That's is so - we're watching the guy kick this Big Dog or whatever it is.
LINENDOLL: Yes, it's very stable. LEMON: Hey, I guess Katie and I can have 30 more seconds, right? We can't. All right. Katie, we can't get to the other stuff. Will you save it for me?
LINENDOLL: OK. No problem.
LEMON: All right.
LINENDOLL: Of course.
LEMON: Thank you, Katie Linendoll. We'll see you next week.
LINENDOLL: It's been real.
LEMON: Drugs, money and even a woman tied up. These suitcase stickers might make you laugh, but airport security, well, they are not getting the joke.
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LEMON: CNN education contributor Steve Perry says one of the biggest challenges as a high school principal is finding smart, passionate people who want to be teachers. In tonight's "Perry's Principles," Steve sat down with a man who is using poetry to inspire students in the classroom.
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TAYLOR MALI, POET: I make kids wonder, I make them question. I make them criticize. I make them apologize and mean it.
STEVE PERRY, CNN EDUCATION CONTRIBUTOR (voice-over): The stage is Taylor Mali's classroom. The audience, his students.
MALI: I want to remind people the potential of this language that we have and what you can do with it.
PERRY: For nine years he taught English, Math and history.
(on camera): Then you become a poet whose purpose is to inspire people to become teachers.
MALI: After about the 10th or 11th person said because of you and the way you talk about the teaching profession, I've decided to become a teacher and decided to keep track and then I give myself a goal. I was going to inspire 1,000 people to become teachers and I'm up to 499.
PERRY: I'm here with Alyse Lichtenstein, teacher number --
ALYSE LICHTENSTEIN, TEACHER: 478.
MALI: I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.
PERRY: So you went to a poetry event. To be entertained?
LICHTENSTEIN: Yes.
PERRY: You didn't even go to see Taylor.
LICHTENSTEIN: Nope.
PERRY (voice-over): Until that night, Alyse wasn't sure what she wanted to study.
MALI: Let me break it down for you, so you know what I say is true, teachers, teachers make a difference. Now what about you?
LICHTENSTEIN: I saw him perform and it was just mind blowing (INAUDIBLE) subject be.
PERRY: Today, she is an English education major at Boston University.
(on camera): How are you doing so many of us principals are having so much trouble doing? I never found 470 anythings to do anything?
MALI: I talk about my experience and I never pretend to be something I'm not. I'm not an expert in education. I don't know what the answers are to fix education. But what I do know is that fixing education in America will always involve attracting bright, intelligent, motivated, passionate college graduates to choose teaching.
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LEMON: All right. Time now to tell you some news you missed.
Aretha Franklin is no stranger to performs with an orchestra. But look who backed her up on the grand piano just the other night.
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LEMON: I could listen to that for the rest of the hour. That is - look at her. That's former secretary of state Condoleezza Rice doing a respectable job on "Say a Little Prayer" with Aretha Franklin there. The Tuesday night event was a fundraiser for the Man Center, the summer home of the Philadelphia Orchestra. According to "the Washington Post," the combined star power helped pull in nearly $600,000. Aretha Franklin and the former secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice.
A Canadian company got itself into a sticky situation after selling big luggage decals that violate federal aviation regulations and defy really common sense. Take a look at them. Here they are there. They're pretty realistic pictures of suitcases stuffed with money or white powder. The company says they're designed to help bags stick out on luggage carousels.
But Canadian officials say the stickers are just not funny and have ordered the company to stop selling them nationally. The stickers are still popular in Europe though where more than 1,000 have been sold in just a week. I mean, come on. I guess you can see the joke there, but especially with what happened, 9/11 and all that, that's a little wacky.
In Fresno, California, a box of old photographic plates bought for 45 bucks may be worth millions, at least according to the man who owns them. He claims a team of experts have confirmed the images of Yosemite and other prominent California landmarks were taken by none other than Ansel Adams. It would be quite a find if it's true. But a lot of people are extremely skeptical about that.
Again, that's news you missed. I'm Don Lemon. I'll see you back here at 10:00 p.m. Eastern. Thanks for joining us.
