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Half a Billion Eggs Recalled; Iran Unveils New Weapon; Critics Say Obama Vacations Too Much; Girl, 13, Is Rising Pitching Star; Killer of James Jordan Could Get New Trial; Rules Change on Who Gets BP Money for Loss During Oil Spill

Aired August 22, 2010 - 18:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: With all the worry about eggs and salmonella, we go straight to the people in charge for some answers. The FDA -- the head of the Food and Drug Administration joins us to talk eggs and seafood from the Gulf. Is it safe?

Last week, it was Gulf for the president. This week, it is a posh enclave on Martha's Vineyard. The question: is it a good idea for the president to jet off to paradise when so many Americans can't afford the mortgage or rent, let alone a vacation?

A 13-year-old pitching phenom with an arm like a major leaguer. Guess what? She's a girl but she certainly doesn't pitch like one and you're about to meet her.

(MUSIC)

LEMON: Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon.

You know, it is one of the staples of the American diet and now, hundreds of millions of themselves are being recalled because of concerns about salmonella. Two of the nation's largest egg producers are recalling more than half a billion eggs sold under more than a dozen brands around the country. More than 1,000 people have gotten sick and the ones who have say it made their lives miserable.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TODD DANIELSON, ATE TAINTED EGGS: Everybody had diarrhea. That was kind of the first thing. And then, headaches and then throwing up and then it was body aches. I couldn't even move.

KATHLEEN DANIELSON, ATE TAINTED EGGS: And when I did find out, I was angry, very angry. You know, I mean, a virus is one thing, but when it can be prevented, it's a different story. You know, when you watch your children go through that, it's horrible. It's horrible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: And CNN's Sandra Endo has more on the massive egg recall and the giant companies involved.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) SANDRA ENDO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The massive nationwide egg recall is growing. This weekend, another Iowa-based egg farm is under investigation for possible salmonella contamination. The $6 billion industry is being hit with the recall of half a billion eggs. Although that's less than 2 percent of the total 80 billion eggs produced in the nation each year, the recall has spread to 17 states since May, according to the Center for Disease Control. Some states are reporting triple the average rate of salmonella poisoning.

The Iowa-based company at the center of the investigation is one of the nation's top 10 egg producers, Wright County Egg. It's privately owned but it has a long list of legal problems, spanning more than two decades, ranging from a sexually hostile work environment to animal cruelty. The company paid out millions to settle cases involving unpaid overtime to thousands of workers and for hiring more than 100 undocumented workers on the company's Iowa farms.

This disturbing undercover video obtained last year by the animal rights group Mercy for Animals shows how hens were treated at the company's egg farm in Maine. The owner agreed to pay more than $130,000 in fines after facing 10 counts of animal cruelty.

The Egg Safety Center, an industry advocate for egg farmers, says they feel confident there are enough regulations in place to ensure egg safety.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is an extremely rare occurrence. The FDA has done a wonderful job at putting rules and regulations in place. Right now, I think we just need to give time to watch those regulations work.

ENDO: New to the recall list, 170 million eggs produced by Iowa's Hillandale Farm since April. The FDA is investigating both Wright County and Hillandale Farms, looking for any common links.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: And CNN's Sandra Endo joins us now from Washington.

Sandra, have we heard comment or reaction from the companies involved in this recall?

ENDO: Well, Wright County Egg has not commented, Don. We are waiting to hear word from them. We understand they are cooperating with the investigation that has launched by the FDA.

We did hear from Hillandale Farms just today releasing a statement saying, quote, "We are devastated that our eggs have been implicated in making people sick. We have never had a product recall in our 45- year history and it flies in the face of our mission to provide wholesome, nutritious food for the American public. We regret that anyone has become ill and the concern and disruption that has caused our customers. In cooperation with FDA, we look forward to diligently examining every phase of our operation and effectively addressing any issues found."

It goes on to say, "We are committed to taking the steps necessary to regain the full confidence of our customer and consumers."

So, that is the very latest from Hillandale Farms. Again, we are waiting to hear a response from Wright County Egg -- Don.

LEMON: Sandra Endo, thanks for your reporting. We appreciate it.

An make sure you join us next hour. We're going to talk with FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg. I'll ask her about the egg recall, the safety of seafood in the Gulf of Mexico and some other important issues. That's coming up at the top of the hour, right here on CNN.

In the meantime, in Lower Manhattan today, dueling rallies over a proposed Islamic center near Ground Zero.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CROWD: We stand together.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Several hundred people on both sides of this controversy gathered about a block apart to make their competing claims. Police estimated people who support the Islamic center were outnumbered roughly two to one by people who are against it.

Opponents say building a mosque near the site of the World Trade Center attacks is disrespectful of 9/11 victims and their families. Supporters argue it's a freedom of religion issue protected by the U.S. Constitution.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)

ANDY SULLIVAN, ANTI-ISLAMIC CENTER ACTIVIST: I got a real problem that the mayor, the president and the founder of Hamas are all in consensus with putting up this mosque. That I got a problem with.

(BOOS)

SULLIVAN: Can you hear me, Obama? This is Andy from Brooklyn. Forget about it!

LT. COL. CHRIS DZUBEK, PRO-MOSQUE ACTIVIST: The -- certainly the right and the ability to do it wherever they would like. And that's what I like about the country, is the ability for people who disagree with one another to hash it out without guns.

RUTH MASSIE, PRO-MOSQUE ACTIVIST: It would be giving into bigotry and intolerance to demand that it be moved. And I think, in the end, it makes us less -- it makes us less safe because I think we need to show the world that we are a tolerant, open society.

DR. ALI AKRAM, PRO-MOSQUE ACTIVIST: There are many Muslims who lost Muslim family members at Ground Zero. So, when they come to visit Ground Zero as a memorial, they should be able to walk two blocks down and pray for their loved ones.

(END VIDEO CLIPS)

LEMON: Well, Iran's president today unveiled a sophisticated new weapon in its military arsenal, a pilotless bomber reportedly capable of flying long distances at high speed. The country's defense minister says the drone demonstrates that Iran is now able to manufacture all of its military hardware and weapons. The unveiling comes one day after Iran began loading fuel into its nuclear reactor, which has been a source of constant tension with the rest.

White House correspondent Dan Lothian is on Martha's Vineyard right now where President Obama is vacationing.

Dan, good evening. Is there any reaction from the White House on Iran's drone announcement?

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: No, no, Don. No reaction yet from the White House on that. But as you pointed out, you know, Iran continues to be a particular concern, not only to the United States, but also to Israel.

This is a country that continues to pursue their nuclear ambitions which they say simply for peaceful purposes. But the United States and others are believing that it is solely for the purpose of creating a nuclear weapon. President Obama has been trying to resolve all this through diplomatic -- finding diplomatic solution to all of this. Iran refusing to come to the table. But, clearly, some experts believe what Iran is doing now is trying to flex its military muscles, Don.

LEMON: Well, Dan, the president is to speak about Iraq, ahead of the official August 31st pullout of combat forces. What will he say -- any indication?

LOTHIAN: Well, as you point out, the White House confirming today that President Obama, after he leaves Martha's Vineyard sometime next week, will be making a major address about Iraq. No details yet on what the president will say, but this obviously coinciding with that August 31st deadline ending combat mission in Iraq.

What we expect from the president, though, is what we've been hearing now for several weeks and that is that the Iraq security forces have been making progress in terms of dealing with their own security, that there's still some progress that needs to be made in terms of their coalition government being solid there, and that the United States is committed to Iraq for the long term.

LEMON: Dan Lothian, in a very windy Martha's Vineyard -- thank you very much for that, Dan.

Former Democratic party chairman and Vermont governor, Howard Dean, has broken with President Obama on the Islamic center near Ground Zero, calling it an affront to those who lost their lives on 9/11. Today, Dean had some critical words for the president's top advisers.

On CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION," our Candy Crowley asked Dean for his reaction to statements by the president's spokesman, Robert Gibbs, who recently dismissed criticism from what he called the "professional left."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CANDY CROWLEY, HOST, "STATE OF THE UNION": And it boils down to this this fall, do you think the left sits home or do you think the left goes out to the polls and what gets them there?

HOWARD DEAN, FORMER DNC CHAIRMAN: Look, I don't think the left -- what Gibbs was talking about with the so-called "professional left" -- I don't know what he meant by that. I -- you know, I think -- but that is a very small number of people. I think there are a large number -- I think that the people around the president have really misjudged what goes on elsewhere in the country, other than Washington, D.C.

I don't think this is true of the president, but I do think his people, his political people, have got to go out and spend some time outside Washington for a while.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Well, Dean went on to tell Candy Crowley that he thinks the average Democrat is a progressive and that deals made by what he called the president's people on health care are, quote, "kind of upsetting."

We have an amazing story developing right now in South America to tell you about. Miners trapped for two weeks, hundreds of feet underground. They are alive. A handwritten note from them just pulled up to the surface.

In Pakistan, more than a thousand dead, nearly 1 million more sickened following devastating floods, but aid money to help is slow to arrive. We're asking why.

And it was a murder case that grabbed the nation's attention.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They would always change his story according to what evidence was actually being put out by the lab.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Seventeen years after basketball star Michael Jordan's father was killed, one of the men convicted says he is innocent and a new report may support this argument.

And don't just sit there. Make sure you become part of the conversation. Send us a message on Twitter or Facebook. You can be part of this show. You can check out our blog at CNN.com/Don and you can also check in with us on Foursquare. We want to hear from you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Well, hundreds of thousands of Pakistanis are still fleeing rising floodwaters, many more are fighting disease. Nearly 1 million people are sick with diarrhea, the skin disease scabies, malaria or respiratory infections. That's from the World Health Organization, all of that information.

Floodwaters cover one-fifth of the country and has disrupted the lives of 20 million Pakistanis. More than 1,500 people have died. Money to help, however, has been slow to arrive, especially when compared to how Americans have given to catastrophes of similar proportions.

Why? Could there be a bias against the country? Fear of what the funds could ultimately support?

Pakistan native Shuja Nawaz joins us now from Washington, D.C. He's a director of the South Asia Center at the Atlantic Council of the United States. It's a bipartisan public policy group.

Mr. Nawaz, thank you for joining us.

I want to be sure you know there have been terrorist leaders found in Pakistan. So, the question that some may be asking here is: how do I know my contribution won't end up working for an anti-American cause?

SHUJA NAWAZ, ATLANTIC COUNCIL: I think this is really the big test for the government of Pakistan and I think they are up to it because there's a commitment to have a very transparent and a very effective mechanism for the aid, particularly from the United States. And the ground for this was laid by the Kerry-Lugar bill legislation because the United States Congress insisted that this aid be given directly to the government and that it be monitored and audited.

LEMON: So, we're seeing reports that the Taliban is helping with the floods. It could just be militants. I don't know if you know more about that -- but they are helping the flood victims where the government is not. Could this worsen the relationship the United States has with Pakistan?

NAWAZ: Well, just to be correct, it is not the Taliban per se, but it is their affiliates perhaps in the northwest of the country, and a lot of the groups are the Punjabi militant groups that are from the heartland that have repositioned their people for evangelical purposes and they have social services groups that quickly come into action.

Unfortunately, when the flood hit, the government was asleep at the wheel and it took quite a while for the government to get its act together. That is the gap that these people filled, but it's not a nationwide problem and it has not yet become a nationwide problem, although it could.

LEMON: OK. So, listen, I know the United States has promised $150 million in aid to help Pakistani flood victims and, you know, the U.S. aid, all of that's written right on, we're told, the aid and many people -- so the people there know where it's coming from.

Do you think that this will help the relationship between Pakistan and the United States? And if so, how do we get that message across? NAWAZ: Oh, absolutely. I think it's not just the $150 million, another $200 million or $250 million out of the Kerry/Lugar money is probably going to be directed for flood relief work, too. And there could over time, perhaps, a front loading of some of the Kerry/Lugar finance for the flood relief.

Now, what the U.S. is doing different and what it should do differently from previous times is to actually not only help distribute the aid, but also put its mark on the aid so that the people receiving it know where it's coming from. In the past, particularly in the northwest and the border region with Afghanistan, the U.S. has been reluctant to put its mark because it didn't want people distributing the aid to be the target of the Taliban. This is now changing. I think over time, people should realize that this mistrust between the U.S. and Pakistan cannot be removed overnight.

LEMON: Mr. Nawaz, thank you for your time.

NAWAZ: Thank you.

LEMON: The rules are changing. Beginning tomorrow, a new process begins for Gulf Coast residents and business owners to claim money lost because of the oil disaster. We're talking to one business owner about her losses and what she hopes to get back.

And from an eyesore to art, deep in the heart of Texas -- how people of Austin are helping to build up America.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Checking some of our top stories right now, 33 trapped miners in Chile are still alive more than two weeks after their mine caved in. The country's president made the dramatic announcement earlier today. He said a probe sent down into the mine in a note attached to it when it was pulled back out. The note indicated all miners -- all of the miners were safe in a shelter. Mining officials say rescuing the men could take months.

Iran has added an unmanned bomber to its military capabilities. The drone was unveiled today by the Iranian president. The disclosure comes as the country begins fueling nuclear -- a nuclear reactor.

Security analyst James Walsh tells CNN that Iran is publicly flexing its military muscle to discourage a possible air strike.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES WALSH, INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EXPERT: It remains to be seen how, you know, functional, how useful, this technology will turn out whether it's any good or not. But you can understand why they would want it. Why do they want it? Because they don't have a good air force and if they are attacked by Israel, if they are attacked by another country, and they want to retaliate, and they can't do it with their air force, then drones are, in theory, one technology that would give them a retaliatory capability.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: A U.S. soldier was killed today in southern Iraq, the first American fatality since the last U.S. combat brigade left last week. The American was killed in a rocket and mortar attack. Also in Iraq today, two civilians were killed and 23 wounded when bombs exploded in several Baghdad neighborhoods. And two mortar shells were fired into the Green Zone, but caused no casualties.

Shirley Sherrod may decide whether to go back to the Agriculture Department this week. She'll meet with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Tuesday to talk about a new job offer. Sherrod was forced to resign when a conservative blogger posted an out-of-context video of her speaking at the NAACP event. After the full video came out, Vilsack apologized for jumping the gun.

Austin, Texas, is a city that helped launch the careers of music legends like Janis Joplin and Stevie Ray Vaughan. CNN's Tom Foreman says it's also the city that turned an eyesore into art. He shows us in today's "Building Up America."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is impossible to address the economy of Austin without noting the symphony of arts that flows through this town and the long center downtown is evidence of how a vibrant arts community can be good for residents and business, too.

For 40 years, the multipurpose aging Palmer Auditorium sat here. When the city decided to replace it in the '90s, the town was flush with dot-com money, a $125 million plan was developed. By 2002, however, many dot-coms were dot-gone and the plan was, too. That's when the real ingenuity kicked in.

CLIFF REDD, LONG CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS: People were accustomed to coming here. They knew what it was.

STAN HAAS, ARCHITECT: It was so odd but, yet, it was such a symbol for the city.

FOREMAN: Cliff Redd runs the city and Stan Haas was a key architect of its revival.

REDD: So, to give it a new place in people's hearts in Austin was a really seductive project for us.

FOREMAN: Unable to afford an entirely new facility, the city, like many homeowners, remodeled -- really remodeled.

HAAS: We began to investigate what's the idea of maybe taking the great bones of this building and making it even more than it was? The eureka moment for us was finding a construction photo of this building in 1958 and what it showed was this beautiful concrete perimeter ring beam.

FOREMAN: Stripping the old building down to its bones, they reused every piece they could to create a state of the art, new performance center, a hidden concrete ring beam came into the light as a sweeping architectural element.

Old weather-beaten roof tiles were converted into stylish, hip siding. Windows were made into decorative panels. Old light fixtures were rewired, reworked and rehung for a retro splash. Five tons of steel were melted down and returned for reuse.

And, in all, 45 million pounds of debris recycled and used again.

The results are staggering. Not only did the Long Center open on time and on budget, but listen to how much they saved by using the old to build up the new.

REDD: Typically, when we researched these across the country, the mind-numbing figure that stopped us was, they're running about $1,100 a foot to build what we had. We were able to build this project for $278 a foot. So, it becomes one of the most studied projects and an iconic example of Austin ingenuity at best.

FOREMAN: Now, that's a finale.

Tom Foreman, CNN, Austin.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Everybody deserves a vacation, right? But is President Obama making a mistake by getting away from the White House when the economy is so bad and so many of us can't take a trip? We're asking that question in looking at the history of presidential vacations.

And a Little League pitching phenom with an arm that is the envy of her opponents. She just got an incredible honor. Yes, that's right. This amazing player is a girl. You're going to meet her.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: The first family is on vacation right now in beautiful Martha's Vineyard off the coast of Massachusetts. It's a place that attracts its share of the rich and famous. And no matter who's in the White House, though, the opposition party complains that he is on vacation too much. It happened with former President George W. Bush and it's happening right now with President Obama.

Ken Walsh has covered the White House for "U.S. News and World Report" since 1986. My, now that's a record. It seems like it should be at least. He's also the author of "From Mount Vernon to Crawford: A History of the Presidents and Their Retreats."

So, Ken -- thanks for joining us, first of all. You're not on vacation, so that's why you're working, right?

KEN WALSH, U.S. NEWS AND WORLD REPORT: Yes, exactly.

LEMON: Right. All right. So, we've seen presidential vacations criticized in the past, it always happens. But, you know, a few days ago, we got the worst unemployment numbers in nine months. Is this criticism resonating more this year because of the economy, maybe?

WALSH: Well, that would be the problem. But I think Americans have a lot of tolerance and a lot of understanding that a president does need to get away on vacation. You know, we see that in our everyday lives and people know in their own lives, they need a break, and they certainly understand that for a president. I think the problem comes when a president looks like he's insensitive to struggling Americans.

So, if a vacation looks like a president is goofing off, you know, not taking care of things that need to be taken care of, or if a president is being sort of hedonistic or spending too much money, especially taxpayers' money.

But I think what President Obama is trying to do here is he's trying to get a break, but you're not going to see a lot of his personal time displayed on television or in the media. He's going to be secluded. He'll be out and about to some extent, but it's not going to be looking like he's out there playing while the country is suffering.

And so, other presidents have gotten in trouble for that. President Bush the father got in trouble when he was at Kennebunkport, Maine, his family estate, went out on a speed boat and looked like he was enjoying himself too much when the country was suffering from its own economic problems in those days. And there's a lot of examples for this.

But I think the problem is, American people understand, as long as the president doesn't seem to be doing things in an excessive way or sort of a hedonistic way.

LEMON: Yes.

WALSH: And I think President Obama is very well aware of that.

LEMON: So, hey, Ken, listen, is this a fair criticism because, you know, there have been reports -- I think it was Mark Knoller from "CBS News," he's famous for keeping track of presidential vacations. I think he said President Obama had taken 48 days of vacation and former President George W. Bush had taken 115 days during this time. 48 days versus 115 days. Is that a fair criticism and can you compare the two people?

WALSH: It's hard to compare. President Bush, the son, President George W. Bush, was among the most frequent vacationers of any president, but we've had a long history of this. A lot of people forget that President Lyndon Johnson, who also had a ranch in Texas -- he was president for five years and he was away at his ranch for something like 480 days. At that rate, he would be one of the most frequent vacationers in history if it continued for eight years. But for that five years, he was away at his ranch a lot.

More recently, we tend to scrutinize people. And, Don, as you said, no matter who's president, it's sort of a ritual in Washington to take them on for taking too many vacations. And that's the problem. It's really an image problem more than anything else. LEMON: I wonder if it makes a difference if President Bush was going to Crawford, which was his own place, rather than -- I'm wondering if the venue, the choice of Martha's vineyard, does that seem kind of tone deaf especially on the heels of the first lady's trip to Spain when a lot of people are suffering economically?

WALSH: That is a problem. I think the idea that, as you said in the beginning, that it's sort of a place for the rich and famous. Bill Clinton went there too in his first term. He had polls taken, where should he go on vacation. The answer was national parks. He went to national parks, didn't like it very much, and never went back in the second term. He went to Martha's Vineyard. But I think the problem is this notion of, does it look like it's a place that everyday Americans would go and enjoy themselves? It's really not.

LEMON: When you think about that part of the country, it's where people say, where are you summering this season, right?

(LAUGHTER)

WALSH: That's true.

LEMON: Not everybody gets to say that.

WALSH: That's right.

LEMON: Thank you very much. We appreciate it, Ken.

WALSH: Thank you.

LEMON: New credit card rules taking effect today. How they're different from the rules already in place and how they could save you money.

But first, a 13-year-old, 13-year-old pitching phenom with an arm like a major leaguer, but this rising star is a girl.

You don't pitch like a girl, Chelsea.

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: And she's going to come up live next. You're going to meet her.

Hi, Chelsea.

Can she hear me?

Say hello.

She can't hear me.

CHELSEA BAKER, 13-YEAR-OLD GIRL PITCHER: Hello.

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: After the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right, you're going to like this next story just because I like it. No, you're really going to like it. Everyone likes this story. Young baseball players from all over the world are in Pennsylvania this weekend for the start of the Little League World Series. That's right, the Little League World Series. The Plant City, Florida, team didn't quite make it, but its star pitcher was honored this week at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, for her two perfect games -- that's right, "her" two perfect games.

Chelsea Baker has made a habit of beating all-boys teams with a mid- 60s fastball and a knuckleball that she learned from former major leaguer, Joe Neikro. She joins us now from Tampa.

Hi, Chelsea. How you doing? Smile, relax. Take a deep breath.

BAKER: Good.

LEMON: I know you might be a little nervous. You have no reason to be nervous. You strike out a lot of those boys. Don't be nervous to be on television.

OK, that's quite an honor. We read your resume, the little bit we read here. Your jersey is now in the Hall of Fame. What was that experience like, especially at 13 years old?

BAKER: Yes, it's just been a great experience to be a part of all of this. And I just feel really honored and blessed to be in stuff like this.

LEMON: You do? So, I hear -- you have to tell me if this is the truth. That when you strike out the boys, sometimes they cry.

BAKER: Yes, when I strike them out with a knuckleball sometimes they'll throw the helmets and start crying and stuff.

(LAUGHTER)

It's just really funny to watch.

LEMON: Do you laugh? Out loud? In their face?

BAKER: Yes.

LEMON: OK, all right.

BAKER: Inside.

LEMON: And inside.

All right. You pitched four Little League seasons without a loss. So do you get much heckling from the boys when you're striking out or are their parents? BAKER: The parents sometimes make comments to me, but I just don't listen to them.

LEMON: You just sort of stay focused and do your own thing, right?

BAKER: Yes, sir.

LEMON: You hit over .600 this season. So which do you enjoy more, do you enjoy more hitting or more pitching?

BAKER: I like pitching more than batting.

LEMON: Why?

BAKER: I just -- I just love pitching. And I've been pitching since I was 7 and I just love it.

LEMON: Did you ever -- did it ever come a time when you realized that you were special, that you had a gift, or are you just kind of feeling it now? Do you even know that?

BAKER: I feel really special because not many people get to be a part of what I'm -- what I've been doing. And so it's just been an honor.

LEMON: Yes. A former major leaguer, Joe Niekro, who has since passed away, he helped you with your throwing and that knuckleball. How did that come about?

BAKER: When I was 7, he was my travel ball coach and he was our batting pitcher. and he would always throw it to us. And I could never hit it. So I'd always beg him to teach it to me. And finally, one day, he just taught it to me.

LEMON: Yes. So, Chelsea, you're going to have to make a choice pretty soon. You have to choose whether or not you do softball or baseball and on and on, but I understand you have your own plan about what you want to do. and there is a goal that you're trying to reach. What is it?

BAKER: I want to play baseball for as long as I can. And I want to play high school baseball and then I also want to play on the USA Girls Travel Baseball team.

LEMON: And then you want to go to the Olympics and then you want to be a big baseball star after that. And you're going to come to Atlanta and play for the Braves, is that right?

BAKER: Sure.

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: Chelsea, you're a remarkable young lady. And I appreciate you joining us. I know you were a little bit nervous, but you don't have to be nervous, you are striking all those guys out. I think you'll have a huge career and do you promise not to forget about us and come back to CNN along the way when you're big star? BAKER: Yes, sir.

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: Thank you, Chelsea Baker. It's good to meet you. OK? Best of luck.

BAKER: You, too. Thanks for having me.

LEMON: You're welcome.

A major world nation without a clear winner in its national elections. What's being done to try to form a ruling body? We'll tell you about that.

And you can call it the pied piper of the sea. We'll show you a small robot that could guide fish to safer waters.

She was cute.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: OK, top stories now on CNN.

The votes are still being counted in Australia, but it's looking like no party will emerge as a clear winner in Saturday's national elections. Leaders of both major parties are talking with Independents to try to form a government. "Anxious days ahead," is how Australia's prime minister describes the situation there right now.

Back here, new credit card rules go into effect today. They cap late fees at $25, except in extreme circumstances. And they block companies from charging you a fee when you don't use your credit card. They're the final provisions of federal legislation passed last year to curb rampant abuse by the credit card industry.

A man committed suicide on a concert stage outside of San Jose, California. Someone who was there posted this on YouTube, this video of the scene after the fatal jump. A pop group called the Swell Season was playing Thursday night at the Mountain Winery when Michael Pickles leaped from the stage roof, fell about 40 feet and landed near the lead singer as he was performing. How disturbing is that? Pickles was out on bond on charges that he attacked his girlfriend and kidnapped his girlfriend. Wow.

Robotic fish, it sounds like something out of science fiction, right? Imagine that. But it could one day be a reality. Researchers are working on a high-tech bait that could help lure fish away from dangers like an oil spill. Gary Tuchman has more in today's "Edge of Discovery."

(EDGE OF DISCOVERY)

LEMON: It was a murder case that grabbed the nation's attention.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AMANDA LAMB, CORRESPONDENT, WRAL: You did not kill James Jordan?

DANIEL GREEN, ACCUSED OF KILLING JAMES JORDAN: No.

LAMB: And you were not there when James Jordan was killed?

GREEN: No.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: 17 years after basketball star Michael Jordan's father was killed one of the men convicted says he's innocent. And a new report may support his argument.

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LEMON: A just released report about North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation is calling into question years and years' worth of cases, among them, a conviction in the killing of Michael Jordan's father.

Amanda Lamb, from our affiliate WRAL has the story.

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LAMB (voice-over): It was a case the entire country watched -- two young men convicted of killing James Jordan, the father of basketball legend and native son, Michael Jordan. Daniel Green has been in prison for 17 years. He says he's innocent.

(on camera): You did not kill James Jordan?

GREEN: No.

LAMB: And you were not there when James Jordan was killed?

GREEN: No.

LAMB (on camera): Green admits he helped his co-defendant, Larry Demery, get rid of the body, and then went joyriding in Jordan's car. Demery testified against Green at trial and fingered him as the shooter and got a plea deal.

GREEN: They would always change his story according to what evidence was actually be put out by the lab.

LAMB: Part of the evidence at trial was a test by the SBI lab that showed blood in Jordan's car. But the audit shows that four later inconclusive tests for blood were never revealed at trial.

In 2007, Green wrote to the SBI asking for the test results. They sent him a letter refusing to release the file to him.

GREEN: I never seen any blood in the cars. Never saw any blood in the cars. LAMB: Green says he's not surprised by the results of the SBI audit. and despite his situation, he says he's not angry evidence was withheld.

GREEN: I've already been through the whole anger stage, despair stage, you know, I've been through that. I'm not going to go back there, I have to stay as clearheaded as possible.

LAMB: Green has been working on his case from behind bars for years, trying to prove his innocence.

GREEN: It really doesn't change my approach. My approach has always been, as you know, every month, every year, since I've been in prison, I've been fighting my case.

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LEMON: What are the chances of a new trial for the man sent away for murdering James Jordan?

Joining us now is criminal attorney, Trent Copeland.

Thank you for joining us.

So, Trent, the accusation is that the Bureau of Investigation withheld evidence. Is that enough to merit a second trial here?

TRENT COPELAND, ATTORNEY: Well, it isn't. Look, although, there probably is a glimmer of hope for Mr. Green, the issue alone, that the SBI withheld some evidence, doesn't merit a new trial. Remember -- look, there also appears to have been, according to the transcripts in the trial, other evidence connecting him to the shooting. It may open the case for review by state authorities, but it doesn't necessarily mean he'll get a new trial.

LEMON: So there are a number of cases. We said, you know, that this investigation that they're looking into now, this is probably the most high-profile case among them. That is why we're doing the story. Tell us about the report. What does the report against the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations say?

COPELAND: What it essentially says, Don, is a number of things. The first is, it's really an overall indictment of this crime lab. What it says is there was rampant mismanagement. There were critical errors made. There was, at best, an issue and institution of mismanagement, poorly crafted instances where the information was transmitted to the prosecutor's office. In some instances, it appears to be that there were rampant misrepresentations.

Look, this is an overall indictment of the crime lab. What it says is there were instances where people who were put to death, there were instances where people who were given life sentences, were given those sentences largely based on information that came from this crime lab. So this is an overall indictment. And I think this will be a very, very interesting case as it moves forward.

LEMON: What is the process to figure out which cases get a second chance and which ones get thrown out all together?

COPELAND: There's going to be an independent review. That is the first thing. And clearly, Don, as you indicated a moment ago, this is the most high-profile of the cases. This one will go forth. There will be a review by the prosecuting agency. There will be a review perhaps even by the trial court, who rendered the sentence in this instance. There will be an overall review. And what they'll look to determine, Don, is whether or not the information that came from this crime lab was information that was critical and vital. If it is found to be that, there will be a new trial and there might even be an exoneration for this defendant and many others.

But if there is other evidence, while there is a suggestion, in this case, he was fingered by his co-defendant, there may have been other independent evidence. If that's the case, and those other pieces of evidence still stand, then simply having information from this crime lab that suggest that the crime lab had done something improper is still not enough to order a new trial and to exonerate this man.

LEMON: Great information. Trent Copeland, thank you.

COPELAND: You bet, Don.

LEMON: Many gulf coast residents and business owners are looking for money to cover their losses from the oil disaster. Tomorrow, the rules change. We'll talk to a business owner about that next.

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LEMON: Remember the $20 billion fund B.P. set up to compensate victims of the gulf oil disaster? Starting tomorrow, Ken Feinberg, the man in charge of the fund, will start cutting the checks instead of B.P. But the guidelines have changed of who will get paid and who won't. That's caused really an uproar. The proximity of a person's home or business to the beach and gulf will play a role in this. And they'll have to prove their loss was called by the spill and not by something else, like the bad economy. If they take a lump-sum pay out later in the year, they'll most likely have to waive their right to sue B.P. in the future.

Joining us now from Pensacola, Florida, is Susan Mitchell. She runs a flower shop a mile from Pensacola Beach.

She may have fallen through the crack -- you believe. Why do you believe you've fallen through the crack? Because it's a mile from the beach?

SUSAN MITCHELL, FLOWER SHOP OWNER: I'm a mile from the beach. I can't understand the absurdity of it. I don't understand where he's coming from. Almost every car goes by me, passes me, sees all my little trinkets, all my spinners, all my flags, all my statues, all my flowers. Most of the tourists say, if I don't stop today, honey, I want to go back there. And they do come back. This year, we haven't had them.

(CROSSTALK) This year, the few that --

LEMON: Go ahead. I want you to finish your thought. I want to hear your concerns. Then I'll ask my question. Go ahead.

MITCHELL: The few that have come in are telling me constantly we come here every year and we always stop at Flowerama because you have too many nice things. This year, we don't hear that very often. It's definitely hurt us.

LEMON: Listen then, so where do you draw the line then? What's the point? Is it one mile, two miles, three miles? How do you figure out who was affected or not? You're talking about, as they say, foot traffic. But for your case, it's car traffic, people driving by. And a big bulk of your income, I would imagine, comes from that during tourist season?

MITCHELL: Definitely during tourist season. We gage ourself. We order our products before the season. This year, we're still holding product. We're waiting, we're hoping Labor Day weekend we'll see a lot of you people out there.

But how they gauge that, I don't know. I can prove my losses this last month. I did my sales tax. It was down $4,000. They may not see where I'm losing it, but I certainly do.

LEMON: And $4,000 is $4,000. Right?

MITCHELL: Yes, that's my livelihood. That's my future. That's my retirement.

LEMON: Where do you go from here, Susan? Are you going to seek emergency funds? Are you going to try to sue B.P.? Are you going to try to make your case to Ken Feinberg? What do you do next?

MITCHELL: I'm going to work with Ken Feinberg. I'm going to give him the faith that he's going to be fair to people that are not exactly on the beach, but also affected by it. I'm going to ask Ken Feinberg to please just be fair with us.

LEMON: And I would imagine for hardship cases. And I guess they would probably take every case individually. Let's hope.

Susan Mitchell, what's the name of your flower shop?

MITCHELL: It's called Flowerama. It's in Gulf Breeze. Right after you go over the bridge to come to this the beach, you'll see it. You can't miss us. We have flags flying. We have spinners flying. We're a beautiful store. Please stop in and see us.

LEMON: Right over the bridge. I know exactly where you are.

Good luck to you, OK, Susan.

MITCHELL: OK. And you stop in, too.

LEMON: I certainly will.

MITCHELL: Thank you.

LEMON: Thank you.