Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Carpet-Bombing the Oil?; 3 Convicted Murderers, 1 Caught, 2 Still Loose; Flooding Devastates NW Pakistan; Black Leaders Investigated; ALS Patient Wants to Donate Organs Now; "Wish to Do a Good Thing"; President to Speak Before Disabled American Vets; Racing on Solar Power

Aired August 01, 2010 - 22:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: This hour on CNN, everything you need to know to start your week tomorrow. First off, it's about to get really nasty in Washington as two very powerful Democrats head for ethics trials. Both are black. And now some lawmakers are crying racism. Meantime, the president and the house speaker both caught in the middle.

Facing death yet denied his final wish. You'll meet a terminally ill man who wants to give away his organs before he dies. Even though it will certainly kill him sooner than the disease.

Plus, the president comes right here to Atlanta in the morning. And disabled war veterans eagerly await his messages. Two of our wounded warriors tell me what they want to hear from their commander- in-chief.

Good evening, everyone. I'm Don Lemon. We're going to get to that ethics investigation very shortly here on CNN. But first, we want to catch you up on the situation on day 104 of the gulf oil disaster. And now harsh, harsh allegations from a congressional subcommittee about overuse of toxic chemicals to fight that spill.

Our Jim Acosta has the very latest now from Venice, Louisiana.

Jim?

JIM ACOSTA, CNN GENERAL ASSIGNMENT CORRESPONDENT: Don, one of BP's top executives, Doug Suttles, the companies' COO, held a press briefing this afternoon after taking a three-hour tour in the marshes down here off of the coast of Venice, Louisiana.

And he was asked about this issue of dispersants. As our viewers may know, over the weekend, the key Democrat that oversees a House committee that keeps an eye on this oil spill down here, Ed Markey, from Massachusetts, he fired off an angry letter to Thad Allen who is the national incident commander of the oil spill essentially accusing BP of carpet bombing the Gulf of Mexico with dispersants.

Suttles was asked about that, and he pointed out as Thad Allen had pointed earlier in the day that it was Thad Allen's office. It was the United States coast guard that was in control of just how much dispersants was used over the Gulf of Mexico. At one point, during the press briefing, I asked Doug Suttles whether or not he would serve the seafood out of the Gulf of Mexico to his own family, whether he would eat that seafood himself given the fact that commercial fishing has reopened off the Louisiana coastline. And here's what Suttles had to say to that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DOUG SUTTLES, BP CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER: There's been a tremendous amount of testing done by NOAA and the state agencies and the FDA and others. And they're not going to open these waters to either 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)

ACOSTA: Doug Suttles was also asked about the static kill operation that is supposed to take place late Monday, probably Tuesday. That is the operation where BP will be injecting heavy fluids into the cap in an attempt to try to seal this damaged well once and for all. It's likely that it won't do that. It will simply just sort of prime the pump, prime this well for the bottom kill operation that Suttles says will take place in mid-August.

But at this point, Suttles says all of these operations are moving in the right direction and that he says he is, quote, "Confident that this will all end with success."

Don, back to you.

LEMON: All right, Jim Acosta, thank you very much.

Some encouraging signs elsewhere along the gulf coast. In Gulf Shores, Alabama, swimming advisory has finally been lifted at the beaches. That's welcome news for the local economy. More tourists are showing up, but it's probably too late for businesses that depend on summer tourism.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 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.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 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, you know, we are hoping that the closer people in our surrounding areas will come down enjoy. It's been awhile since everybody enjoyed the beach here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: One bar owner tell CNN he lost half his business this summer due to that oil spill. Tonight, one escaped murderer from Arizona is back in custody, but two others are still loose. Police say they pulled over Daniel Renwick in Riffle, Colorado. He allegedly fired a shot at them but they were able to capture him. Renwick is one of three men who broke out of prison in Kingman, Arizona, Friday night by cutting a hole in the fence. The manhunt is on for the other two men, Tracy Province and John McCluskey. Police are also looking for this woman, a suspected accomplice. The fugitives allegedly hijacked an 18-wheeler yesterday. The two drivers feared for their lives, they say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRABHJEET BAINS, TRUCK DRIVER: Two guys and the one female, they pulled us over at the gun point and they tried to kill us. So finally they drove us to over here from Kingman to Flagstaff. So finally they changed their mind. They didn't kill us. They left us over here and we are good.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Police now believe the escapees are driving a silver 2002 Volkswagen Jetta that they bought yesterday in west Phoenix.

We want to go now to another developing story. This one in Pakistan. It's over floods. Pakistani government, the government officials there tell CNN more than 1,100 people have been killed by floods in the north-western part of the country. The United Nations says 30,000 people are stranded and more than 1 million people are affected. The U.S. embassy in Islamabad says it's providing immediate aid, including two water filtration units. More than 50,000 meals and helicopters that helped rescue 400 people from flooded areas yesterday.

CNN's Reza Sayah is in Pakistan.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is what's left of a village in northwest Pakistan, near Peshawar, floodwaters wiping away the homes. All of the homes made out of mud so they never had a chance.

Here's how desperate the residents of this village are. All of them are Afghan refugees. What they did was pick up the belongings that they had, move uphill to a graveyard. That's where they pitched their tents, laying out their blankets on top of gravestones. This village is one of thousands across northwest Pakistan that have been destroyed by what Pakistani government officials are calling the worst floods in northwest Pakistan, in this nation's 63-year history -- the floods coming after three days of record-breaking monsoon rains.

Many of these villages in flood-ravaged areas are cut off from help. That's why aid groups and the government is having a very difficult time getting to them. This is obviously a big humanitarian crisis for Pakistan.

And based on what we've seen over the past couple of days, there's no way this government has the resources to get to everybody. Aid groups are helping, but in the villages that we visited, we simply haven't seen the help. That doesn't mean help is not out there, but it means many, many more people are waiting for help and frustration is growing.

Reza Sayah, CNN, Charsadda, Pakistan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: All right, Reza.

And here in the United States, this next story is really starting to bubble to the top and will be talked about a lot in the coming week. Two powerful and high-profile African-American members of Congress face potential ethics trials over alleged rules violations. And the Republican Party chairman faces his own party activists. That's this week. It could be a critical meeting.

But let's bring in our senior political editor, Mr. Mark Preston to talk about this.

Mark, we'll get the details from you in a minute on that. But what are the other headlines we can expect this week?

MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Well, Don, I think you really hit the two ones right on the head. Coming out of Kansas City later this week, the Republican National Committee holds its meeting. Big news for Tampa Bay. We'll tell you about that in a little bit. In addition to that, Michael Steele will have to do some explaining about how he's been running the Republican National Committee.

Also, you talk about these two ethics investigations, Don. Congressional Democrats are at home for the next month. If you remember, a year ago, that's when the town hall meeting explosion occurred. Congressional Democrats will have to start answering questions not only about the state of the economy, the state of the country, but also questions about whether they support Maxine Waters or Charlie Rangel.

Don?

LEMON: Mark, this is a multi-facetted story. So stick around. We're going to need your help. We're going to talk about it just a little bit here on CNN.

Mark Preston, you know, with growing pressure on Congressman Rangel to resign, the Reverend Al Sharpton is asking some very tough questions.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REV. AL SHARPTON, CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST: If he is really guilty of all these egregious acts, why are you offering such a light penalty to what you are claiming is 13 violations?

(END VIDEO CLIP) LEMON: Even the president has weighed in. So is this really about ethics, or is it about race?

And this is the makings of a hurricane heading towards Florida. It's way out in the Atlantic right now. We'll update you on the track and the forecast coming up.

And don't just sit there. We want you to be part of the show, part of our conversation. Check us out on Twitter or Facebook. Send us a message, or check in our blog, CNN.com/Don. FourSquare as well. We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: President Barack Obama is joining the ranks of those weighing in on the fate of New York Congressman Charles Rangel. He is the powerful 20-term Democrat from Harlem who's accused of violating 13 House rules. The accusation range from financial wrongdoing to damaging the credibility of Congress. President Obama weighed in on the Sunday talk shows. Listen.

(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 happens.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Long-time Democratic Congresswoman Maxine Waters of Los Angeles is also facing ethics troubles. She's been in Congress since 1991. A source tells CNN that Waters has chosen to face a House ethics trial related to claims involving federal aid to a bank with ties to both Waters and her husband.

Reaction around Washington is mostly centered on whether the two House members might be guilty or not. But now some lawmakers are starting to also ask why two high-profile African-American House members are going under such tough scrutiny.

I discussed the race angle to these investigations with the Reverend Al Sharpton. And I started by asking him if black members of Congress are being targeted unfairly by the ethics committee.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REV. AL SHARPTON, NATIONAL ACTION NETWORK: We shouldn't rush to judgment that is racial and we shouldn't. They shouldn't rush to judgment that they're guilty, because there's been allegations.

You must remember, Don, we heard a lot of allegations around the Illinois Governor Blagojevich as it related to the only black in the U.S. Senate, Roland Burris. At the end of Blagojevich's trial, it's going to the jury and have heard little of even Burris's name and he said he won't run again. Same with New York Governor David Paterson, one of two black governors, a lot of allegations and he's not running again. All of sudden, we find at least one of the major investigations they find nothing wrong.

LEMON: Yes.

SHARPTON: So, if you begin to see a pattern of people being called on, being investigated, allegations, they end up nothing, one would be very naive not to say, wait a minute, why should we rush to judgment, particularly when you have Charlie Rangel who has done so much for his district and the country, and Maxine Waters. And we've already seen two high-profile black leaders hit heavy by the media and then nothing is there.

LEMON: Reverend, that's what I want to talk to you about and that's one reason we brought you on because you know both of them very well. You're from New York. Obviously, Charlie Rangel from New York -- you've known him for a long time. You've known David Paterson for a long time. So, you have some insight here which is a reason we have you here.

So -- and everyone says Charlie Rangel, nicest guy you want to meet. But that doesn't mean he didn't do anything unethical, that doesn't mean he did do that.

What is being said is that this committee is using investigation tactics that aren't -- that are rarely used, and that's why some, including the Congressional Black Caucus, are saying: is this a racist tactic?

SHARPTON: Well, they're clearly using tactics that have not been used before. They clearly are going all the way in areas that they have not, and I think what is telling is that, so far, if Mr. Rangel and Ms. Waters decides to go to a public trial, we will see whether in fact they are putting them on trial or whether they will be on trial themselves to see if this is some kind of unfair prosecution.

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 in the light of day we find these allegations have no merit, as we've seen with the others that I have named.

LEMON: OK. Let's talk -- let's really talk about this. The first African-American president, we have two high-profile black congressmen here. We've been talking a lot about race. The president at the Urban League talked about it this week, Shirley Sherrod. There's been a whole lot going on here.

Charlie Rangel is among what they call the Harlem "gang of four," right? With David Paterson's dad, Basil Paterson, and on and on. SHARPTON: Right.

LEMON: What does this mean -- and Maxine Waters, we know her history -- civil rights movement, all of that. What do these mean? What do these people mean to the black community? And what kind of cloud, if any, does this place over them and the Congressional Black Caucus, if at all?

SHARPTON: Well, I think that they mean a lot to the community. I don't know anyone that has stood up longer, stronger than Maxine Waters. They mean a lot to America, not just the black community, and the same with Charlie Rangel.

Many are questioning whether or not a lot of this is raised to put a cloud there at a time that we're facing the midterm election, at a time that there's all kind of pressure being put on the president to have two high-profile members of his party and others raised in areas and trying to make a lot of our community become disenchanted with the whole process and feeling, well, if we build somebody up, they're only going to scandalize them or if we -- those that would believe it, that they're only not to be trusted. So, there's a lot of reason for some suspicion here.

LEMON: OK. So then, should they step aside, guilty or not, let a new generation take over, let the midterm elections play out without them?

SHARPTON: Well, the reason that doesn't make a lot of sense is David Paterson is the next generation and it didn't stop them from dealing with him. We saw a lot of scurrilous charges on Jesse Jackson Jr. He's the next generation.

It's not a question of the generation. It's a question of what is generating these investigations. Are they in reality based on facts, are they not?

And if Congresswoman Waters and Congressman Rangel call their hand, we'll see.

I remember when I was a kid about 14 years old, Congressman Adam Clayton Powell was censured by Congress. The Supreme Court later on found that censorship to be unconstitutional.

So, are we seeing the same pattern or not? We'll see. They tell us, don't rush to judgment. I say the same thing to them.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: A lot of accusations going around. A lot of questions. So we want to get to the bottom of this tonight. And we want to find out, do black lawmakers face more scrutiny than their colleagues?

This conversation continues next with CNN's senior political editor Mark Preston and Northwestern professor Brian Monroe. Moments away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LEMON: OK. This is going to be a big story next week and into November. We're talking tonight about the ethics investigations and potential congressional trials facing two powerful African-American members of Congress. Charlie Rangel of New York and Maxine Waters of Los Angeles.

Some critics are questioning whether their current troubles might be related to their race. Yes, they are. You can look online, anywhere, that's what people are talking about. So let's talk about it with our senior political editor Mark Preston. He is back. He is in Washington. And then now Brian Monroe is joining us. He is in Seattle. He is a former president of the National Association of Black Journalists, and a visiting professor at Northwestern University School of Journalism.

Thank you both for joining us tonight. Are you doing OK?

MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Doing well.

BRIAN MONROE, VISITING PROFESSOR, NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM: Thanks for having us.

LEMON: Let's talk about this. Mark, you got a chance to talk earlier, so I want to go to Brian.

Brian, much is being made about this. I've read some things online. I have read in Politico tonight. We picked up on it. We did this story at 6:00 tonight. Politico picked up on it. And here's what's -- I want this quote from Politico.

Politico is saying that, "There's a "dual standard. One for most members and one for African-Americans," said one member of the Congressional Black Caucus speaking on condition of anonymity."

Let me say it's too easy for an outside group to damage someone's reputation by filing a claim with OCE.

OK, so is this really about race or is this about two people who may have done something wrong?

MONROE: Well, I think it could be a little bit of both. You know, certainly there were these allegations, both against Charlie Rangel and Representative Waters from California. But the pattern is very curious. If you look, this new -- this OCE, the Office of Congressional Ethics investigation was set up very recently. This is a pretty new thing.

LEMON: By Nancy Pelosi.

(CROSSTALK)

MONROE: Yes, by Nancy Pelosi. And remember as she came in and took over, there was a lot of heat and she actually ran on her ethics credentials. Set this up in March 2008. And that really changed the rules because Congress had not done a great job at investigating itself. It has swept a lot of things under the rug. Had failed to press hard when there was, indeed, smoke and fire.

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: So what are you saying, Brian? Are you saying that Democrats only have themselves to blame for this? You know, you're saying it's probably a bit of both but these are the Democrats own fault?

MONROE: Well, this new system was by their making. But the way this system is set up, they have to have both a Democrat and a Republican agree to bring charges or to launch an investigation against any member before an investigation can begin. And so this investigation started several months ago and only led to this point where there is indeed going to be a trial because they couldn't cut a plea deal to begin with.

LEMON: OK. So, Mark Preston, this is from another report. At one point earlier this year, all eight lawmakers under formal investigation by the House Ethics Committee, including Rangel and Waters were black Democrats. All those investigations originated with the OCE, which make their recommendations but they don't have final action. So it seems like a lot. What do you make of this whole thing that, you know, they are targeting black members of Congress?

PRESTON: No, I don't believe that one bit. I mean, the fact of the matter is, Don, Brian is right. Congress has done a terrible job of policing itself. Not only in the House of Representatives, but also in the Senate. Nancy Pelosi did run on this whole idea of draining the swamp and ethics reform and what have you. What she's done though is she has created a system that is not only going to catch Republicans, it's also going to catch Democrats. That's what we're seeing.

LEMON: So where is this all coming from then, about, you know, about the black members are being targeted. Where is this coming from then?

MONROE: Well, but you have -- Don, you have to look at the numbers you just cited, which is earlier this year, all eight people that were -- who were under investigation by the OCE were African- American congressmen. Now what is the percentage of African-Americans in Congress? Less than 10 percent. Yet we are seeing -- we saw that all eight people under investigation came from the Congressional Black Caucus. And five of them were under one alleged charge about a trip to the Caribbean.

LEMON: OK. OK.

MONROE: It was -- the pattern just didn't make sense.

LEMON: OK. But, Mark, if this investigation committee was set up by the Democrats why would the Democrats shoot themselves in the foot by going after their own members, especially with November coming? This is all going to be playing out then. It just doesn't seem to add up.

PRESTON: And I think it's fine to ask the question and to raise the point to say look at the members right now that they are investigating. But it's just like hitting the lottery. You can get six numbers and hit power ball and you've won the lottery. And I think that in this case we probably are seeing the same thing. It's just by happenstance that we're looking at members that happen to be members of the Congressional Black Caucus that are under investigation at this point. But I will tell you this, Don. And you know shocking that I would say this. But I think you could probably go into just about every congressional office right now and you can find a violation by one of these members of Congress.

LEMON: OK. I'll give you the last word. Brian?

MONROE: Well, that's the other thing. The rules have changed. With this new office, they are dealing with things that normally the congressional committees wouldn't have touched. They are going after, and some people call them technicalities to target these members of Congress. And, you know, Charlie Rangel has had a wonderful laudatory career in Congress. And maybe at 80, it's time for him to retire and step aside. To be forced out in this way just doesn't smell right.

LEMON: Both of them, I think, are leaning towards having this trial publicly and not taking any kind of deal or not stepping down. We'll see. It's going to become a much bigger story in the coming weeks. And as we said, as it gets closer to November.

Thanks to both of you. We appreciate it.

PRESTON: Thanks, Don.

MONROE: Thanks.

LEMON: A dying man's wish is sparking an ethical and moral debate. He wants to donate his organs now, even though it would kill him before the disease takes him. Garry Phebus explains why he believes the decision should be his and only his.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: A Georgia man with a terminal disease has opened an ethical and moral debate over when someone can donate their organs. Garry Phebus is dying of ALS. Lou Gehrig's Disease. He wants to donate his heart, his liver, kidneys and other vital organs while they are still healthy. Of course, doing so would kill him.

Just a short time ago I spoke with him, his daughter and a medical ethicist. We want you to listen to it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARRY PHEBUS, ALS PATIENT: The reason why I want to do this is because I think it's morally ethical. It seems to be the common sense thing to do. And, of course, I want to spend time with my family. But I don't want to drag them through the hardship. When you have thousands of people on the list, and thousands of people dying every day, it seems to me to be common sense. I can't take it with me. So why not give to someone so that can watch their loved ones or children or grandchildren grow up?

LEMON: But Garry, doing this -- by doing this, you would essentially be taking your own life. It would -- and if someone did it for you, it would be essentially assisted suicide. But you still think it's morally ethical?

PHEBUS: Yes, I think it's morally ethical because I don't look at it as suicide. I look at it as a sacrifice. I look at it as --

LEMON: Go ahead, Garry. I'm sorry. There's a delay, but go ahead.

PHEBUS: It's OK.

It's like if you were in war, someone jumping on a grenade, someone threw a kid off a railroad track. You are sacrificing your life to save another. And in my case, I have a death sentence. And while all my organs are still viable as far as I know and I was told, I want to save other people's lives, because I don't know when I'm going to go.

LEMON: I want to talk to your daughter. I want to talk to Kerri now. What do you and the rest of your family think? Do you support his wishes?

KERRI WILKINSON, DAUGHTER: We do support his wishes. When he first came to us and suggested this unusual idea, of course, you know, not to lie, we were all in shock. But not so much shock that we weren't willing to listen to his reasons why. And once he explained those to us, it made sense.

And, you know, I work in the health care field in occupational therapy and I know how difficult things like that can be on a person and their family. And if he can possibly do any good for anyone else, then we're all behind him 100 percent.

LEMON: I know you said it makes sense. As a health care professional, you said it makes sense, right? But, I mean, when you are dealing with that sort of thing with someone you love, I mean, I'm sure you -- obviously, you don't want to see him go.

WILKINSON: We don't want to see him go, but I'd rather see him -- I want to say - I'd rather see him go out doing something that will help -- I don't know how many others. And that's a heck of a legacy to leave instead of just us watching him slowly wither away. So it makes sense to us.

LEMON: All right. I want to get to Professor Caplan now. What is your take on this request? He says that he believes it's morally ethical, he said, to do this. You think it sets a bad precedent? Is that correct?

PROF. ARTHUR CAPLAN, DIR., CENTER FOR BIOETHICS, UNIV. OF PENN.: I'm very moved and saddened by Gary's plight and I understand what he's trying to do. But doctors involved in transplants cannot be the cause of death of the patient. In every state, we have laws on the books that say you must be dead before you can start harvesting organs like the heart.

So even though I understand what he's trying to do, they're not going -- there isn't going to be a transplant team in the country that can help him do it. We can't violate what we call the dead donor rule.

LEMON: Mr. Caplan, though, he is facing death anyway, though.

CAPLAN: Well, that's true. But we don't know whether he's going to live another month, another year, for that matter, another five years. He may live quite a while with ALS and have a good quality of life for some period of time.

The principal, Don, is, if people sign a donor card, they want to know that they're going to get aggressive care, full treatment. No one is going to shorten their life to try and get an organ. And what Gary is proposing, even though it may make sense for him, it doesn't make sense for society because it will terrify people into thinking if they say they're willing to be organ donors, are they going to have their lives ended prematurely.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: And make sure you tell us what you think. Send me a message on Twitter, on Facebook. You can also go to my blog at cnn.com/don. I have the interview posted there so you can leave your comments.

A new addition to the list of most endangered sites in the world and you'll find it in the southern United States.

And a balcony collapses under the weight of more than two dozen people in a popular college town. Details on the injured when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: It's time now to check your top stories. There's a new development tonight in the massive leak of classified military papers dealing with Afghanistan. An MIT graduate admits he met Army Private Bradley Manning at MIT back in January when Manning was on leave. Manning is a 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.

In Russia, officials say firefighters are finally getting control over some of the worst wildfires the country has ever seen. At least 30 people have been killed. Almost 5,000 others are now homeless. Russia is dealing with a major drought and scorching temperatures this summer. Officials say the fires have burned more than 300,000 acres so far.

Nearly two dozen people hurt when a balcony collapses in Austin, Texas. The deck gave way. It was at a condo where dozens of people were partying in the early morning hours. Now that is according to our affiliate, KVUE. Most of the injuries were broken bones. Investigators say about 30 people were on the balcony when it collapsed, and it was too many for that structure. A UN group has added the Florida Everglades National Park to a list of the world's most endangered sites. UNESCO says high pollution levels are killing marine life and water inflows have decreased by up to 60 percent. This is the second time the Everglades has made the list. The first was because of damages caused by Hurricane Andrew back in the 90's.

The National Hurricane Center is keeping a close eye on a tropical wave in the eastern Atlantic. And forecasters say there's a 90 percent chance it could develop into a tropical storm within the next 48 hours. Right now, it's located about 900 miles west-southwest of the Cape Verde Islands. Computer models have it tracking towards the Windward Islands at the foot of the Caribbean by late this week. After that, its track is still anybody's guess, so keep watch on it.

And after months of speculation and no confirmation, Chelsea Clinton -- she did get married last night in Rhinebeck, New York. The daughter of the secretary of state and former President Bill Clinton. They wed -- she wed her longtime boyfriend Marc Mezvinsky. Chelsea wore a dress designed by Vera Wang. Among the guests, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.

The president will speak tomorrow before hundreds of military men and women who suffered permanent injuries from their tours. We're asking a couple of veterans what should be at the top of the president's agenda tomorrow when he comes here to Atlanta.

And a man on the verge of completing an incredible journey. He's walking the entire Amazon River. More than two years after he started, he's almost done.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Tomorrow, President Barack Obama will speak at the national convention of Disabled American Veterans right here in Atlanta. Founded 90 years ago, the DAV represents the 3 million men and women who have become disabled while serving our country. Two of its members told me what they hope to hear from the president.

Patricia Ruiz is a combat marine veteran and Roberto Barrerra is national commander of the DAV. While serving in Vietnam, an explosion caused him to lose his right hand and left arm and burned much of his face.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTO BARRERA, NATL, CMDR., DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS: When he was the senator, when he was campaigning for the presidency, he made a commitment to veterans to pay back, to honor what they had 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 continued and also the opportunity to thank him for all that he's done for us.

LEMON: All right. Patricia, I ask you the same question. What do you want to hear?

PATRICIA RUIZ, NATL. SERVICE OFFICER, DISABLED AMERICAN VETS.: You know, I have to say I want to know, as he's done so much already, what more is going to happen with so many injuries that are coming back such as traumatic brain injuries that are on the rise, PTSD. So many people are not aware of it. And so many disabled veterans don't know 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 know about traumatic brain injuries that they may have been exposed to.

LEMON: And you guys know that 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 are living. Medical technology has saved a lot of them, but they're seriously disabled.

So what do you think about the new, you know, the strides that we have made and with -- would you like to see more from the government to addressing this problem, especially PTSD. We've been talking a lot about the suicides and what have you.

BARRERA: And you are correct. You alluded to the fact that the survival rate now is certainly more significant than when we -- or when I served in Vietnam. So, the length of time that 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, she'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 that these heroes need -- 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. Whenever you're on an airplane, they announce, you know, Iraq war veteran or someone is on and there is always applause. Or if you have an event somewhere, they do that.

But 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 are 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 certainly is way above than what the returning Vietnam veteran 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're entitled to.

(END VIDEOTAPE) LEMON: Thanks to both our heroes there.

Tonight, the stories you'll be hearing about tomorrow and the rest of the week. We're looking at your week ahead.

Plus this --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(FEMALE SINGING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Surely you know the "Queen of Soul" Aretha Franklin. But take a wild guess at who is playing the piano and also singing backup.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: It is time right now for a look at the stories that you'll be hearing about in the week ahead from the White House to the Pentagon to Hollywood. Tonight we start at the White House.

ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I'm Ed Henry at the White House. A big week for the president because he goes home to Chicago in the middle of the week. He's going to visit a Ford Motor plant to highlight the rebound of the auto industry but also some fundraising and Democrats are going to throw him a big party in honor of his birthday. The president turns 49, one short of the big 5-0.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: I'm Barbara Starr in Washington. This week, Defense Secretary Robert Gates is again expected to focus on those tens of thousands of leaked documents about the war in Afghanistan. The secretary has asked the FBI to get involved. There is now a widening investigation. The Pentagon wants to know how it all happened.

BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: I'm "Showbiz Tonight's" Brooke Anderson. And expect big news breaking this week. Lindsay Lohan getting out of jail and Charlie Sheen could be going to jail. He's due in court Monday for a possible plea bargain on charge that he attacked his wife. And a big announcement expected Monday on who will be the new judges on "American Idol."

"Showbiz Tonight" will have all the late-breaking developments on HLN at 5:00 p.m. Eastern and still TV's most provocative entertainment news show at 11:00 p.m.

LEMON: All right. Thanks, guys.

Azadeh Ansari. Time for Azadeh to tell us what's happening internationally. We've been talking about the flash floods in Pakistan. It's almost like 1,100 people, I believe, have died?

AZADEH ANSARI, CNN INTERNATIONAL DESK EDITOR: It's crazy, it's crazy, Don. More than 1,100 people have been now -- I mean, the United Nations is saying that more than a million people have been affected, 30,000 have been stranded most of them on rooftops. And right now the rescue and recovery efforts are only going to get more complicated moving into next week because weather officials are projecting that monsoon rains could come in and make an already bad situation even worse.

LEMON: Yes. It's just such a huge story. Imagine if this happened here in the United States. Obviously, God forbid, that happens. We hope these guys are OK and that, you know, it ends soon. But the international desk will be following that one.

Hey, talk to us about the Amazon. This guy -- what's this -- is going to walk all the way across the Amazon?

ANSARI: He is. You know, we've heard of people swimming across the Atlantic, you know, hiking to the North Pole. But this guy is taking on one of the world's first explorations of walking across the length of the Amazon River. He's starting off on the Pacific coast of Peru and for 852 days, he's already walked this whole length, and he's going to end his journey on the Atlantic coast of Brazil. And all throughout his journey, he's blogging about the things that he's seeing in an effort to raise awareness about the Amazon and all of its complexities.

LEMON: Wow.

ANSARI: Pretty fascinating.

LEMON: Yes, it is pretty fascinating. Thank you very much. And that and much, much more that we'll be following next week from overseas. Thank you, Azadeh Ansari. We'll see you next weekend, OK?

Going green at the racetrack.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All the cameras, the lights, the water pumps, the heaters, the air conditioning, all the computers are running. All those tools, electrical tools that they're using are plugged into our outlets.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: A NASCAR track owner makes a big investment to cut expenses, help the local community and save the earth.

And drugs, money and even a woman tied up? These suitcase stickers -- those stickers right there may make you laugh but airport security, they don't see the joke in this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: A NASCAR race, it's not the most environmentally-friendly competition, is it? I mean, 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, boasting the world's largest solar-powered stadium. CNN photojournalist Jeremy Harlan has this story. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All the cameras, the lights, the water pumps, the heaters, the air conditioning, all the computers are running. All those tools, electrical tools that they are using are plugged into our outlets. Several hundred thousand dollars a year is what our electric bill is.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We started thinking about it five years ago. I read about solar energy. And I had the idea about putting the panels on top of our grandstand, the building, and all our garage buildings. But then when I investigated it, that wouldn't fly.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dr. Mattioli, the owner here, said, hey, what are those parking lots we're not using anymore? Can we reconfigure our, you know, parking areas?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 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 mill energy project at any stadium anywhere in the world. Not just America, but the world. We're the largest solar plant now in Pennsylvania. Tenth largest in the country. 39,960 panels. American-made panels out of Ohio sitting on Oregon timbers and California steel.

If you are plugged into an outlet in there, you are using solar energy. This system will generate about 3.6 to 3.8 million kilowatt hours.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One meg for the track. I mean, two megs are all extra.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The rest of it is being put back on the grid and helping the community.

Sun comes up every morning. We're making power every time the sun comes up whether it's a cloudy day or rainy day, a beautiful, sunny day like this, we're making power.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Time now where we catch you up on news you might have missed throughout the week here.

Aretha Franklin, no stranger to performing with an orchestra, but look who backed her up on the grand piano just the other night.

Now you can see it. The hairdo gives her away although the microphone is right in front of her. That is former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice doing a respectable job on "Say a Little Prayer." It's well known that Rice is an accomplished musician who is not too shabby with classics like Mozart and Bach. According to "The Washington Post," the charity event raised nearly $600,000. All right. We go to Fresno, California, now. A box of old photographic plates purchased for 45 bucks may be worth millions, at least according to a 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 were true.

But a lot of people are extremely skeptical. Adams' grandson, who runs the Ansel Adams Gallery, says he doubts they are the work of his famous grandfather. And a woman in Oakland says they look just like photos taken by her late uncle earl in the 1920s. The owner is sticking to his claim and plans to put them on display.

A Canadian company -- you got to see this -- a Canadian company got itself into a sticky situation after selling large luggage decals that violate federal aviation regulations. Just look at them. They are realistic pictures of suitcases stuffed with money or white powder. The company says they are designed to make bags more noticeable on luggage carousels.

I want you to get a good look at it. Real slow there. 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.

All right. You know, this is one place that you don't want to fall out of a boat. You are looking at hundreds of alligators in Georgia's -- I'll get this right, I botched it last night -- Okefenokee, right, Thomas, Okefenokee Swamp in a rare feeding frenzy. The gators had herded lots of fish into a confined area, then they pigged out. Most people would have made a hasty retreat back to shore but the fishermen who shot this video just motored slowly through the gators so they could go fishing elsewhere.

I'm Don Lemon at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. Thanks for watching tonight. I'll see you back here next week and make sure you have a great week.