Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Al Qaeda Prison Break; Greece Economy's Ripple Effect; Head Injuries In Young Athletes; Arctic Emperor Penguin Loses Way & Ends Up in New Zealand; Dire Warning from Marine Experts: Our Oceans in Trouble; Gigwalk iPhone App; Hot Off The Political Ticker

Aired June 22, 2011 - 13:00   ET

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

RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: In a few hours, President Obama will deliver a highly-anticipated speech detailing troop withdrawals from Afghanistan. How many are we talking about? Well, let's take a look at the numbers for you, 30,000, that is the number of troops the president is expected to say will leave the region by the end of next year.

Ten thousand of those troops are expected to return home this year pulling 30,000 out would leave about 70,000 American troops in the region. Now, if you are keeping track, this withdrawal plan comes 18 months after the president announced a troop surge in Afghanistan of 30,000 troops.

It follows a growing impatience with the war in Afghanistan which we have been fighting for ten years now. Our CNN polling shows 74 percent of Americans are in support of some sort of drawdown, and I will venture to guess many are also in full support, saving little money on defense spending.

But when I say a little savings with the drawdown, I do mean just that. In the first year, the Afghan withdrawal will save less than $10 billion. Now, that sounds like a lot of money, but consider the cost of the war this year alone. We're talking about $110 billion, and since the first American troops went into of a Afghanistan, you and I, American taxpayers, have spent $443 billion on the war effort, yes, let me say that again, $443 billion on the war effort.

Now, joining me now is General Wesley Clark, he's a former NATO supreme allied commander. General Clark, President Obama's speech tonight is not like a mission accomplished speech but more of a small victory speech, if you want to call it that. Do you see any end game here to the war in Afghanistan?

WESLEY CLARK, FORMER SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER, NATO: Well, I think we have to create our own end game in this, Randi, because if you go back to the beginning of this, we went there because of Osama Bin Laden and because Mullah Omar, the Taliban leader, would not turn him over.

Well, we've gotten Osama Bin Laden, and we've taken down most of the leadership in Al Qaeda. The Taliban was never our direct fight, it was always about international terrorism, it was a terrible regime that was in place in Afghanistan, it repressed women, it denied people their rights, and so forth, it was murderous and an intolerant regime. But there are other regimes like that elsewhere in the world that we didn't go to war with, so we went to war because of Osama Bin Laden. We've finished the fight, now we've got to find the right way out that doesn't lead to larger bloodshed and greater instability in the region, in effect, our other objectives and interests in the region.

KAYE: Right.

CLARK: So, we've got to create the end game, it won't be given to us. It is a matter of using military power, but not solely a function of military power.

KAYE: But do you think the drawdown is the right move for right now?

CLARK: I do because there are other national security challenges coming. We've got to face our responsibilities elsewhere in Asia. We've got to look at our needs at home, and the president has a responsibility of balancing all of that. Always the generals will need all the resources that they can foresee possibly required. It's very hard when you're in there as a commander to say, no, no, take the troops, I don't need them.

But we've got the best leadership in the world in our armed forces, we've got tremendous support from our soldiers and their families. We'll find a way to cope with this as part of a larger U.S. grand strategy of redeploying some forces out of the region, working the domestic side, working the other international security responsibilities, and that's what we have to do.

KAYE: The public, General, seems to be all for this drawdown, but do you think that this might send a dangerous message to the Taliban and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan that we're leaving, and you guys can do whatever you want?

CLARK: Well, they've always known we were leaving. We never brought our families over there. We never established an American city. We never said we're going to colonize Afghanistan to make our country and the rest of you either become Americans or die. So, we never approached it that way, they always knew we were leaving.

Also, we never really sunk our economic teeth into the country. There are trillions of dollars' worth of natural resources in there. We've barely begun to consider exploiting them, but the Chinese, Iranians, other people are in there exploiting the resources under the protection of the American security umbrella. That doesn't make good sense - common sense to the American people. So, it was always true we were leaving.

KAYE: And so far, we looked at the numbers before, have spent some $443 billion on this war in Afghanistan, part of that clearly has been spent on education and overall nation building there, but do you think the country is well equipped to continue on that front, or have we set them up in a way to fail because we have built so much, can they even afford the upkeep on this?

CLARK: Well, that remains in part to be determined. There are training programs under way that there is no doubt that they have made a real impact on the people who participated in them and in some of the provinces. On the other hand, there is deep-seeded hostility due to factionalism and regionalism inside Afghanistan that will remain there no matter how much we spend. So, we're going to have to find our way through these issues.

We're going to have to also look at the larger geostrategic position in the region of Pakistan and India and China, and then, to the lesser extent, Iran. These are the major players in there. We will not be one of those players 30 or 40 years from now barring some other unexpected event. But what we did show and what the Taliban can never forget is that if you strike America, we will strike back, we will find justice, and you will not be unaffected by that. There is no sanctuary on the war on terror, and we showed that to -- in -- it's taken 10 years, but there is no Osama Bin Laden left out there now.

KAYE: All right, General, appreciate you coming on, and appreciate your insight as always. Thank you.

CLARK: Thank you.

KAYE: CNN is staying on the Afghanistan troop drawdown story throughout the day and right up to the president's address to the nation, that is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. Eastern, and that's 5:00 Pacific, and you can watch it right here on CNN.

A pilot dodges disaster at New York's JFK airport. A tons of jumbo jet speeding for a takeoff had to come to a screeching halt when a Egypt air fly turned on the run way. It's not clear how close the two planes got, but at takeoff speeds, the pilot would've had just seconds to react. This near miss is today's "Sound Effect."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE, AIR CONTROLLER, EGYPT: American 158 Heavy, you are ready to go.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE, AIR CONTROLLER, LUFTHANSA: Whoa, whoa.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Egypt Air 986 Heavy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Cancel takeoff -- cancel takeoff plans.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE, PILOT, LUFTHANSA: 411 heavy is rejecting takeoff.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE, AIR CONTROLLER, LUFTHANSA: All traffic is stopped right now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: After a brief inspection at the gate, the flight continued on its flight to Munich, Germany and arrived safely, according to an airline spokesperson. The FAA is investigating the incident.

Incoming defense secretary, Leon Panetta, is touring the Pentagon today, he's making his rounds one day after the U.S. Senate confirmed Panetta in a rare 100 to 0 vote. He replaces Robert Gates who's retiring at the end of the month. The current CIA director says he expects to be sworn into his new job sometime next week.

Gripping new revelations in the Casey Anthony murder trial. Prosecutors say they are looking into the case of a woman who was once jailed with Anthony. April Waylon's daughter drowned in a similar way to show how defense lawyers claim Casey Anthony's two-year-old Caylee accidentally died. The information was revealed yesterday during a discovery hearing after jurors had left the Orlando courtroom. Today ,they heard testimony from a chemist who said he could not be sure a decomposing body was ever in Casey Anthony's car trunk.

Power crews are out in force in Chicago today. Severe storms last night knocked down trees and power lines, leaving 300,000 Commonwealth Edison customers left in the dark. Power company officials say it will take days to fully restore the electricity. The storms also stranded passengers at Chicago airports, 350 flights were cancelled at O'Hare, 30 more flights were cancelled at Midway with two-hour departure delays.

A massive jailbreak leaves dozens of Al Qaeda militants running free, we'll have all the details for you, right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: A daring bloody prison escape unfolded for several hours in southern Yemen today. Dozens of suspected Al Qaeda terrorists were among those who were freed when armed militants attacked the prison. They are linked to plots to kill Americans over the past two years. It's the latest example that Al Qaeda may be trying to fill Yemen's political vacuum created by months of political unrest. President Ali Abdullah Saleh remains in Saudi Arabia where he's being treated for wounds suffered when rebels shelled his compound three weeks ago.

CNN's Muhammad Jamjoom joins us now from Abu Dhabi with more on this. Muhammad, what is the latest that you have on the escape? All right. We lost Muhammad there in Abu Dhabi, we'll try and get much more information for you on this.

In the meantime, who don't we look at some top stories for you that we're following here in the CNN NEWSROOM. The four veteran astronauts who will man Atlantis on the last every U.S. shuttle mission spoke at a news conference earlier today at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The 30-year shuttle program will end following their flight, that's a launch on July 8th which you can watch live right here on CNN.

Commander Ferguson talked about his experience preparing for the mission.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTOPHER J. FERGUSON, COMMANDER, ATLANTIS: We've had a very short training period, about nine months. And four people -- the number of tasks aboard the shuttle haven't changed just because there are four people. So, I think what I'm driving at is we've been enormously busy, and although we have tried to pause and think of good ways to reflect and remember those moments, I don't think that the full magnitude of the moment will really hit us until the wheels have stopped on the run way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Fashion designer John Galliano goes to trial today in Paris. He is accused of making anti-Semitic comments against at least three people. Galliano said can't remember making comments in a Paris cafe, he was however videotape saying he loved Hitler for which he apologized. He faces six months in jail and fined of $32,429 if convicted.

You may remember, the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier, the USS Carl Vinson, the ship from which Osama Bin Laden was buried at sea, well now the Carl Vinson in on track to make sports history. The Navy is in talks to host the first NCAA basketball game on an aircraft carrier. The final deal hasn't been reached but the plan calls for the Michigan State Spartans to play the University of Carolina Tar Heels on veteran's day, November 11th. ESPN would televise the game if it pans out.

Residents in the town of Minot, North Dakota, have until this evening to leave their homes after authorities ordered the evacuation of some 12,000 people from the area because of expected record flooding. Stay tuned to us throughout the day for severe weather and flooding updates, of course.

And now we want to take you back to Abu Dhabi. CNN's Mohammed Jamjoom joins us now live with much more on this prison break there.

Mohammed, what is the latest that you have on the escape?

MOHAMMED JAMJOOM, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Randi, we heard from a senior security official in the town of Mulkula (ph) and Yemen that this prison escape happened around 8:00 a.m. this morning. The dozens of Al Qaeda -- suspected Al Qaeda militants escaped from that prison. We just heard from Yemeni state television a few minutes ago that three of those escaped prisoners have been killed by Yemeni security forces and two of them have been arrested -- Randi.

KAYE: And what do we know exactly, if anything at all, about the escaped Al Qaeda members?

JAMJOOM: Randi, not a lot at this point. We know that there is two prisons in this town. This prison where this happened was the central security prison. The political security prison is in another part of the city, that's where more of the high-level Al Qaeda members would have been kept if there were high-level Al Qaeda prisoners. So, still a lot of questions to be asked.

This news hit quite quickly this morning. There was a lot of concern in that town. Whenever there is news in Yemen, which is a base for al Qaeda in the Arabian peninsula, that there's been a prison escape, always suspicions arise whether al Qaeda had something to do with it. The fact that there was also an attack on the prison and that officials were saying that it was al Qaeda linked militants that were attacking the prison, trying to help these prisoners escape, only raised the level of concern in that country. Randi.

KAYE: And there's been a lot of talk about this visit to Yemen by U.S. Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman. What is the purpose behind that visit?

JAMJOOM: The purpose behind that visit is to meet with officials. As you know, Randi, Yemen is experiencing severe turmoil right now and chaos. You've got an anti-government protest movement going on. The president of the country was injured in an assassination attempt several weeks ago. He's recovering in Saudi Arabia. It seems to be that there's a power vacuum going on in Yemen. A lot of strife, a lot of clashes. Lots of different types of fighting in different parts of that country.

So the official is there to meet with other Yemini officials, with the vice president, with the foreign minister, to see what the U.S. can do to try to help the transition process in that country because it is so chaotic there and there is so much concern on the part of the U.S. about Yemen becoming a failed state because al Qaeda uses it as a base, al Qaeda in the Arabian peninsula, even though it only comprises of about 700 members by most analyst estimates, they've been able to try to launch spectacular attacks against the west and the U.S. in the past several years.

It's a very sophisticated operation run from within Yemen. That raises really the level of concern as far as if there's political turmoil going on there, will al Qaeda be able to exploit it. So the U.S. really trying to do their best to make sure that that country -- that things come together and the government starts functioning once more.

Randi.

KAYE: All right, Mohammed Jamjoom in Abu Dhabi for us. Mohammed, thank you.

Well, you may have heard about the financial crisis in Greece. And, be honest, you may not think it's important, right? Well, wrong. In two minutes, the one and only Richard Quest breaks down what it's doing to your money right now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Greece may be a country of timeless charm, but they are struggling to find a way to repay its huge debts. The state sector is heavily unionized. Companies face tax hikes. They're leasing valuable ports and roads to other countries. And there's still the real possibility that Greece will default on its debt. For more on Greece's problems and what it means for us, the one and only Richard Quest joins me now from London.

Richard, I know that, of course, we can always catch you anchoring "Quest Means Business" on CNN International, but we're glad you're with us today.

If you would, first, break down what's happening in Greece and why it matters for all of us.

RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Let's start with exactly what's happening in Greece and the shear amount of debt that that country currently has. It is vast. Greece has more than 100 percent of what we call debt to GDP. More than $300 billion worth of debt, which is a lot for a small country. And, quite simply, has not been able to pay its bills. The Europeans, the IMF, have come to the rescue, but, and this has been the crux of the problem in many cases, Greece still hasn't managed to turn around its economy and is going to need more bailout.

Look at these numbers, Randi. It will show you clearly. Greek unemployment currently is somewhere around about 16 percent. Now that is the official figure. But talk to anybody in Greece and they'll say they expect it to be much higher. A forty percent rise in the year. So it's possibly 20 percent unemployment. Ten percent of the jobs in the public sector have already gone and more than 20 percent will go over the next three years.

And now show you why Greece matters, because this is really the core of the problem. A new government, a vote of confidence, and more austerity measures. Randi, this is why Greece matters. It's a member of the European Eurozone. There's concern over the euro, the currency in which its involved. And it's the second bailout for Greece. So factor that in, and you have a beautiful country with wonderful history and a terrible economy.

KAYE: Well, I think all of what you just said is enough to send shivers down the spine of anyone in the United States. And probably a lot of folks listening to you are probably wondering, well, could what's happening in Greece happen in the U.S. What's the answer?

QUEST: I suppose if I was being mischievous and apocalyptic, the answer is, yes. But the reality is, no. Let's look at the differences between the U.S. and Greece, for example. The U.S. economy, the largest in the world, has a debt to GDP ratio of about 75. It might be a bit higher than that. It might be up to 90 percent of the economy if you take everything in total.

Greece's economy is twenty-seventh, with a debt to GDP of 125. But the U.S. is the world's reserve currency. It issues debt in its own greenback dollars. It is still the favorite place to invest in the world because of the trillions and trillions of dollars' worth of size of the economy.

Even being mischievous, though, I would say the failure to raise the debt ceiling, along with an annual budget deficit of 9 percent and a trillion dollars, that should give American policymakers more than enough indigestion when they look at Greece.

KAYE: So, Richard, what do you make, just quickly here, of a country that's now leasing its ports, its airports, its roads? I mean what kind of impact does this privatization have and who's buying this stuff?

QUEST: There's lots of people who will buy them. Many places have airports. Britain has private airports. Most countries now have flubbed off the airports in some shape or form. Why should the government run airports? Same for ports. And, look, Greece needs to privatize. It needs to raise up to $50 billion in privatization funds. So far they've done zilch and that's one of the big problems. Greece is now embarked on a massive privatization plan.

KAYE: All right. Well, you have explained it like nobody else can. Richard Quest, as always, great to see you. Thank you.

Well, a deadly risk to young athletes. Next, what can happen when a teen with a head injury returns to the game too soon?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Welcome back.

We have been hearing a lot lately about concussions and pro athletes. But now a new study says young athletes who suffer head injuries can risk death if they return to the sport too soon. CNN chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, has more on the risks.

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Randi, it is pretty tragedy to think about these young players dying sudden death while playing sports. What we've seen is over the last 30 years, according to this new study, the numbers really haven't changed much despite an increase in awareness of concussions and the impact that they can have on the brain. The numbers have been pretty level.

What we know is that it's typically -- while the first concussion can be bad, the second concussion can be exponentially worse. Take a look at what happens. The brain sort of as a fluid medium within the skull bouncing back and forth. At the time of the second concussion here, you can develop catastrophic swelling. And that's what can lead to sudden death.

And, again, the story is very tragic. Happening in boys and in girls as well. Also, you know, just the idea of someone having a concussion is still sort of a vague notion for a lot of people. You don't have to be knocked out, for example, to have a concussion.

The symptoms can be somewhat vague. A headache, for example, nausea and vomiting, balance problems, vision problems, confusion problems. They might ask a football player, for example, do you remember who you played last week? What was the score? Did you win or lose? If they can't answer these types of questions or there's any doubt the players need to sit it out. That's become the new mantra.

Protective gear, obviously an area of big concern, Randi. People have talked about, you know, better helmets to help and protect against these types of injuries. Mouth guards may decrease the transmission of force from the lower part of the face up into the brain. They've talked about genetic testing to try and figure out who's most at risk for developing a concussion.

But none of these things are going to make the game completely safe. So this year you're going to see a lot of changes, especially at the professional level. Sideline exams to try and make sure players who have a concussion are able to sit out. And also doing things to change some of the most dangerous aspects of the game, like moving the kickoff line even further forward.

So, Randi, that's a little bit about what's happening in youth sports. But again, the culture coming from professional sports.

Back to you.

KAYE: All right, Sanjay, thank you.

Tom Hanks did a whole lot more than promote his new movie when he visited the set of a Spanish news network. You've got to stick around to see what he did. That is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: President Obama will deliver a nationally televised speech tonight on U.S. troop withdrawals in Afghanistan. He's expected to outline his plan to bring home 10,000 troops home this year, and another 20,000 in 2012. About 100,000 are now serving. Initial recommendations from top brass pushed for smaller drawdown numbers. And Defense Secretary Robert Gates suggested a withdrawal of support troops only, not combat troops.

CNN will, of course, bring you the president speech live at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

Air samples from the trunk of Casey Anthony's car showed the presence of gasoline and chloroform. That's the testimony jurors heard this morning from chemist Michael Sigman who collected the samples. Some of the compounds found are associated with human decomposition, but the chemist did go on to say that he cannot definitively say that the compounds indicate a decomposing body was in the trunk because other natural sources for the compounds were discovered. Casey Anthony pleaded not guilty of killing her two-year-old daughter Caylee in 2008.

It was an emotional first day at Wimbledon for tennis sensation Serena Williams. After being sidelined with foot injuries and a life- threatening blood clot on her lung, she returned with big serves that landed her a first-round victory. Winning her opening match in just three sets, Serena was overcome with emotion. You can see it there. She continued to cry. She left the court, but in championship fashion she waved to all of her supporting fans.

Tom Hanks went way off script when he appeared on Univision to pitch his comedy, "Larry Crowne." He made the most of his visit by helping the anchor deliver the weather, let's say, with flare. Take a look.

(VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Yes, I don't know if they practiced that one but maybe there's a little bunny hop going on there. But the moves are interesting. Oh, yes. You go, Tom. You go. Hey, you know what? He might have a future on "Dancing with the Stars."

He also visited the CNN set this morning. You can catch his interview with Kyra Phillips on CNN.com.

Talk about taking a wrong turn. An emperor penguin make a rare journey of a lifetime swimming 2,000 miles from Antarctica to the shores of a New Zealand beach. Conservation officials say they will not transport the visitor back home. They're letting nature take its course, they say. They fear that it could spread warm water diseases to the penguins back home. We're told the penguin has been eating wet sand, apparently, mistaking it for snow. However, it does appear healthy and well fed. It is the area's first penguin sighting in 44 years.

A mass extinction on a level like that of the dinosaurs. Scientists say it may be inevitable and we are to blame. We'll explain next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Leading marine experts have a dire warning. Life in our oceans are on the verge of a mass extinction, one that will transform our oceans and as a result our lives forever. That is the urgent finding of 27 leading marine researchers who presented their report to the United Nations this week.

What's more frightening is scientists say we're on track for the worst case scenario. We're talking about mass extension of marine life at levels never seen before in human history. Remember the dinosaurs? Well, some marine species are already threatened or beginning to die off.

A perfect storm of our oceans becoming warmer and more acidic, over fishing and pollution is causing a disturbing rapid decline of species like corals, sea turtles, oysters, polar bears, penguins, certain sharks and other fish, and that is just to name a few.

Philippe Cousteau is here with us to give us a better understanding of all of this.

Thanks so much for coming on.

PHILIPPE COUSTEAU, CEO, EARTHECHO INTERNATIONAL: Thanks for having me. KAYE: We've talked about some of the findings of the study. You weren't a part of it, but what would you say is most disturbing to you about it?

COUSTEAU: Well Randi, as you know, a lot of my life is spent in exploration of the oceans and working with scientists. And, in fact, I just returned from the Arctic with CNN two months ago on an expedition looking at a lot of these very issues.

And I think what I found most striking about this report is that for many of us in the ocean conservation community, it's actually not really news. We've been hearing about ocean acidification, about warming water temperatures, collapsing ecosystems, fisheries collapsing, 90 percent of the large ocean going fish species already being gone. For several years we have heard about this.

And so what this report is really a stark reminder and another urgent call for us to take action.

KAYE: So if we don't take action and if this continues, what will our oceans look like?

COUSTEAU: Well, and that's the scary part. We're already seeing this. And, I think -- I know that a lot of folks, they spend summer times down on the beaches in Florida, in the beaches of New England. If you remember 10, 20 years ago, the amounts of red tide and algae based species and animal blooms or jellyfish, a lot more jellyfish these days than there ever have been. Those are the kinds of species that will slowly take over and you'll see a decline in whales and fish and coral reefs and all the charismatic things that we see at the Sea World's and programs like "Finding Nemo."

KAYE: So what would this mean, though, of course we care about the ocean, we love the ocean, we want to save the ocean. But what does all this mean for you, me, and anybody who might be watching today?

COUSTEAU: Well, the report really calls out three primary issues. One is ocean acidification, which is caused by the absorption of Co2 into the oceans. The oceans have absorbed about half the Co2 that being have put into the atmosphere since the Industrial Revolution. As the oceans become more acidic, all those animals that make shells, coral reefs, krill, crabs, et cetera, can no longer do so. It also talks about a decline in fisheries and it talks about warming oceans, as well as pollution.

All of these problems are very severe. That's the bad news. The good news is that we know what the solutions are. Fisheries reform, looking at reduction of carbon, looking how we can pollution loads into the ocean. We know what these point source pollution, certainly in the United States --

KAYE: So this is all part of what makes it acidic?

COUSTEAU: Ocean acidification is purely a carbon issue. One of the other things the report talks about, though, is these low oxygen, these dead zones. A lot of that comes from pollution. There's one in the Gulf of Mexico, every summer, that is roughly the size of New Jersey, from agriculture pollution. They're -- and, of course, over fishing.

So, the problem is --

KAYE: So what can we do?

COUSTEAU: Well, that's the thing. We know what the problems are but we also know what the solutions are and that's the good news.

The report calls for an establishment of national marine park systems both in the United States. We already have some, but the enhancement of those. And also marine parks around the world. Fisheries reform and, indeed, reduction of carbon. And that's the key three elements that we have to enact if we're going to avert a total whole scale collapse of ocean systems.

Remember, the ocean are the life support system of this planet and without healthy oceans, we can't survive.

KAYE: On a lighter note, we've been reporting today about this emperor penguin that really took a wrong turn.

COUSTEAU: Yes, he did.

KAYE: He's adorable, so I'm smiling when I tell you this, but how concerned should we be? I mean, this guy ended up on a beach in New Zealand. And I think they haven't seen a penguin there, a guy like this in 44 years.

COUSTEAU: Yes, you know -- just like -- I mean animals don't have GPS so just like --

KAYE: They need it.

COUSTEAU: They need it. Clearly they need it. Just like sometimes people get confused and people get lost, it can happen to marine mammals, as well. I mean, a year ago there was a humpback whale swimming up a river in northern California. So, it can happen. And, you know, what the future for him holds. I hope it'll work out.

KAYE: How does it happen, though? I mean, because I would think that it's just built in nature that they know where they are going?

COUSTEAU: Well, it is. But in the complexity, the vast southern ocean that surrounds the Antarctic continent, there are very complex currents and temperatures and different food, and you know, if you're a little bit hungry, maybe you haven't eaten in a few days, it's easy to get confused. And sometimes, especially -- scientists are concerned with the changing currents in the ocean and how they're shifting because of what's happening in the poles -- that's one of the things we were looking at in the Arctic two months ago.

And so it's possible that currents are starting to shift and confusing animals from their traditional migratory routes to maybe get sent off into the wrong direction. KAYE: That is a little disturbing. I know you're not a penguin expert, but could he find his way back if they don't want to send him back?

COUSTEAU: It's unlikely. It's a very, very long way away. A few thousand miles. He's -- you know, he's in a completely unfamiliar environment as the report earlier said. You know, he's eating wet sand so that's not going to be good for him.

KAYE: I know.

COUSTEAU: So it's probably unlikely he'll find his way back to Antarctica, but you never know and anything's possible if we --

KAYE: Can we send you there to rescue him?

COUSTEAU: New Zealand is a fabulous place --

KAYE: I'm worried about this little guy --

COUSTEAU: -- and I would love to go but I don't know what we can do for this one in particular.

KAYE: We'll talk to the boss. He'll get you a flight.

COUSTEAU: Let's do it. You can come with me. We'll do the show from New Zealand.

KAYE: Perfect. All right, Philippe, thank you so much. Appreciate you coming in.

COUSTEAU: Thank you.

KAYE: Well, a young girl taking care of her brother ends up a sex slave. Actress Demi Moore with the horrifying story, coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: The world's sex trade is insidious and shows no preference or mercy. Girls and women everywhere are targets. Actress Demi Moore met a village girl in Nepal who survived an ordeal as a sex slave.

Here's an excerpt from CNN's documentary, "Nepal's Stolen Children," airing Sunday night, 8:00 p.m. Eastern.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEMI MOORE, ACTRESS/ACTIVIST (voice-over): It's a six-hour drive into the mountains to reach Tuli's (ph) village. And as our vehicle struggles up the dusty road, there's plenty of time for me to hear her story.

MOORE (on camera): So how is it that she ended up being trafficked? What was the situation?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, Tule (ph) was looking after her brothers. A small shop in the village, you will see later. And then one day she met a man and he said, oh, it's better like, you know, in a bigger place. Let's go. I will get you a job. And then that's how she ended (ph) up.

As usual, she had come for shopping in the city before her brother, and then she never returned home. So first they thought that she was in a relative's house. And they looked in that relatives house and they could not find her. Then, afterwards, they knew that she had gone -- disappeared somewhere. So they didn't tell anybody, they just waited for some time and later on then they found out that she was trafficked when they got the message.

MOORE (voice-over): It's been a long and bumpy ride, but finally we arrive at Tule's village. At 3,500 meters above sea level, it's breathtaking in every sense of the world. A cluster of metal roof shacks clinging to the mountainside. But before we reach her home, there's a little matter of 500 steps to negotiate down the hillside.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: And be sure to tune in to CNN Sunday at 8:00 p.m. Eastern for the world premiere of the documentary "Nepal's Stolen Children," narrated by actress Demi Moore. You'll find it only on CNN.

About 47 minutes past the hour. First Lady Michelle Obama, today, paid tribute to apartheid victims during a visit to South Africa's township of Soweto. She spoke to young women from across Africa in a church that played a key role in the 1976 Soweto uprising. She drew parallels between the successful fight against apartheid and the U.S. civil rights movement, saying both should inspire African women to overcome the problems of today.

An Arizona sheriff is blaming Mexican smugglers for starting two wildfires that have burned nearly a quarter million acres across the state. Cochise County Sheriff Larry Dever told reporters the Monument Fire was, quote, "man caused." He says traffickers light fires for signals, to keep themselves warm or to throw police off their trail. Dever says the so-called Monument Fire started in an area near the Mexican border. Arizona Senator John McCain recently drew criticism for suggesting the fires were started by illegal immigrants.

Police in northern Ireland are warning rioting in Belfast could get out of hand. Officials blame dissidents opposed to British rule for the killing of a newspaper photographer during rioting yesterday. The second day of violence between Catholics and protestants. Officials say if the unrest continues, it could derail the delicate peace between those two groups.

In Bahrain today, a court sentenced eight Shiite opposition activists to life in prison after finding them guilty of plotting to overthrow the Sunni royal family. They were among 21 people convicted on terrorism related charges stemming from anti-government protests earlier this year. The verdict triggered shouting from the defendants, who were then forced out of the courtroom by police.

Most people make a living while they're at work. But what if you could earn a few bucks just walking to the office? Sounds pretty cool, huh? Well, stick around. We'll have all the details for you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Every day on this show we do a segment called "The Big I." It's all about new ideas, solutions to problems and innovation. Well, today's "Big I" is about an app harnessing America's vast army of iPhone users. Enlisting them to complete various gigs when they're out and about to earn extra cash. CNNmoney's Laurie Segall reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAURIE SEGALL, CNNMONEY.COM: What if you could earn $4 or $5 just walking down the street? An app called Gigwalk is giving you the ability to turn your iPhone into a moneymaker.

SEGALL (voice-over): Gigwalk is a service designed to connect job seekers with gigs. Usually simple tasks (ph) that you need to be physically present to complete. Here's how it works. In any given area there are a number of gigs anyone with an iPhone can compete to earn a couple dollars. Gigs range from gathering info about a restaurant, to testing out an app.

For example, take a photo of his restaurant, answer a couple questions and earn $4. The app is the brain child of three ex-Yahoo! Employees looking to crowd (INAUDIBLE) mobile work and give people the opportunity to earn an extra dime without much effort. Tom Bohan is the director at menupages.com. A Gigwalk client, he uses this service to commission mobile workers.

TOM BOHAN, DIRECTOR, MENUPAGES.COM: The restaurant menu content, unfortunately, can get stale because menus change. So a part of the problem that we identified from the get-go was, how do we keep our menu content as up to date as possible.

SEGALL: Enter Gigwalk.

BOHAN: So we figured this might be a good opportunity for us to test out, let's see if we can use Gigwalk to go out and get updated menu content for us.

SEGALL: In the past, the company hired manual collectors to gather updated restaurant information. But recently the site started posting opportunities on Gigwalk, allowing anyone with an iPhone and an account to complete the tasks.

BOHAN: Once we started to utilize Gigwalk, it was like tapping into an instant mobile workforce. It's been performed at a much quicker rate than the way we were doing it previously with the manual collectors. And at that -- not that much more expensive of a cost to us.

SEGALL: Payouts for gigs range from $3 to $90. Forty thousand users have signed up so far in nine cities where Gigwalks is live. Plans are to roll it out in 30 cities in the next year and a half. Gigwalk certainly isn't going to solve the unemployment problem, but unlike most job postings, these don't require experience to get the gig. All you need is a smartphone. For CNN Money, I'm Laurie Segall.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: Pretty cool, aye? Well, for more on the Gigwalk app, check out our blog, cnn.com/ali. And don't forget to tune in tomorrow, same "Big I" time, same "Big I" channel.

It's been eight long years since the supersonic Concorde flew the friendly skies. But now two faster than the speed of sound aircraft are being revealed at the Paris Air Show. HyperMach Sonic Star and EADS Zero Emission Hyper Sonic Transport. Sonic Star is billed by its creators as the future in flight. It will fly at mach 3.6, twice the speed of the Concord, linking New York and Dubai in two hours and 20 minutes. They say it should be airborne by 2021. The EADS aircraft will be powered by biofuel made from seaweed carrying passengers above the earth's atmosphere at speeds as high as mach four. More than 3,100 miles per hour. That would cut the journey time from Paris to Tokyo from its current 11 hours to, oh, less than 2.5 hours. But there is a big catch. The plane is not due to take off until 2050. Stay tuned to CNN until then for live coverage of that launch. Keep it here.

Jon Huntsman is hitting the road, raising money to help him take his former boss's job. Joe Johns will bring us the details after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Time now for a CNN political update. CNN's Joe Johns joins me now from the political desk in Washington.

Hi there, Joe.

Speaker Boehner says that American people are, quote, what, "a bit weary" about the war in Afghanistan. What more do you have on that?

JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, hearing a lot of that, Randi. President Obama is hearing it from all sides too in advance of his big speech on Afghanistan. We've already heard from a lot of Democrats who say they want a big reduction of the boots on the ground. And now, on the other side of the aisle, the Republican speaker of the house, John Boehner of Ohio, weighing in too, urging the president to listen to his commanders and warning that the White House needs to avoid what you might call a dramatic reduction in forces. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R), HOUSE SPEAKER: Clearly the success that General Petraeus outlined is, in fact, a success. We're getting there. But we've got an awful lot invested here. And I'm concerned about any precipitous withdrawal of our troops that would jeopardize the success that we've made.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNS: Meanwhile, Randi, a former House speaker and current Republican presidential candidate, Newt Gingrich, is telling reporters in Atlanta that reports of the demise of his campaign are greatly exaggerated. He cites some pretty good evidence, too, pointing out that in the last presidential cycle around this time, everybody thought Hillary Clinton was going to be the nominee on the Democratic side. On the Republican side, John McCain was out of money. Essentially had been written off by the press. Two top fundraisers for Gingrich just quit the campaign, adding their names to a bunch of others who recently went out the door. Gingrich dismisses the folks who quit as consultants.

And newly announced presidential candidate Jon Huntsman is moving quickly to try to get some face time with potential Republican donors in the all-important primary state of South Carolina. He's scheduled a closed-door meeting with some of the money people there, a couple of them, as we get closer and closer to that June 30th fundraising deadline for the campaigns. Huntsman actually made an early trip to South Carolina in May right after he stepped down as President Obama's ambassador to China.

Randi.

KAYE: All right, Joe, thank you very much. And your next update from the best political team on television is just an hour away.