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Great Race to Long Beach; Restaurant Safety Tips; Flip Flop Danger; So Far no "Carmageddon"; Murdoch's Scandals & Apologies

Aired July 16, 2011 - 16:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: This hour, construction is under way on a stretch of one of the busiest freeways in Los Angeles. The prospect of the 405 closure had residents calling it "carmageddon," but so far, none of the feared gridlock. A bridge near Mulholland Drive is being demolished, and what traffic there is -- well, it seems to be moving rather smoothly. We'll take you live to Los Angeles in a few minutes.

And then a nasty freight train pileup there in Minneapolis-St. Paul, more than a dozen cars jumped the tracks only this morning. A railroad spokesman says heavy rains washed up the bridge and that likely caused the derailment. The train's conductor and engineer suffered minor injuries. Commuter trains service operating along the same line had to be suspended.

And remember the miners who spent 69 days trapped in a Chilean mine? Well, they are suing the company. 31 of the 33 miners are asking for more than a half million dollars each. They say it isn't about money but safety. The mine shaft they were in collapsed last year. The miners say they want to make sure something like this never happens again.

And Minnesota state government could be back up and running in just a few days. Minnesota's Democratic governor cut a deal with Republicans to end the two-week long government shutdown. The deal involves selling bonds rather than raising taxes and making up the budget deficit. Lawmakers still have to vote on it in special session.

And let's take you to Washington now, live pictures of Capitol Hill, democratic sources telling CNN's Jessica Yellin that internal meetings are going on inside the White House, down the street dealing with the debt ceiling crisis. Congressional leaders and their staff had been asked by the White House to be on call this weekend. During the president's weekly address today, he again said he wants both tax hikes and cuts in popular entitlement programs on the table.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It will take a balanced approach, shared sacrifice and a willingness to make unpopular choices on all our parts. That means spending less on domestic programs, it means spending less on defense programs. It means reforming programs like Medicare to reduce costs and strengthen the program for future generations and it means taking on the tax code and cutting out certain tax breaks and deductions for the wealthiest Americans. (END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Republicans insist a deal cannot be reached with tax hikes. They are sticking to their no-tax pledge and are now pushing for a balanced budget amendment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. ORRIN HATCH (R), UTAH: The solution to a spending crisis is not tax increases, yet Washington has consistently demonstrated that it cannot control its urge to spend. That is why the only long-term solution is a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution. Only by restoring Constitutional restraints on the ability of Congress to spend can we constrain the growth of the federal government.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has proved she can handle just about any situation with diplomacy and tact. But she ran into something of a first during a town hall in Istanbul, Turkey. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have two new guests.

HILLARY CLINTON, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Oh, hi. We have the kitty question coming up.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you like cats?

CLINTON: I do, I do, yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. Back to this country, even on the weekend, traffic in Los Angeles can be a headache, but so far the shutdown of a 10-mile section of the 405 freeway is not turning out to be the traffic nightmare that some people were calling carmageddon. There's no massive gridlock anywhere to be seen, many people seem to be simply staying off the roadways.

Let's go right now to CNN's Kareen Wynter who is right above the 405 there at Mulholland Drive. What's happening, or not happening?

KAREEN WYNTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Fred, believe me - exactly. We have been checking and still no significant traffic backups to report. And things like - people probably played it a little bit too safe by staying home altogether, parking those cars, not even opting for those alternate routes as a result of this partial 405 closure.

But take a look behind me, if you can't see it, you can hear the sounds, they're back at it. They took a pause briefly, a short time ago. They weren't on a break, we're told, they were just entering another phase of that demolition, and so they were assessing which equipment to bring out next. And all morning long, I have been telling you about the sheer number of spectators coming out to where we are, this media area, to take pictures of this rare site.

Well, LAPD has confirmed with us that they arrested a jogger near the 405 construction site. One of the site managers I just spoke with also told me that they have had several security breaches with people, get this, trying to jump fences and cross security signs just to get out here on the 405 to perhaps take pictures. While they're not allowing those people on the 405, in about 30 minutes from now, we, the media, yes will actually have a rare opportunity, Fred, to get down on the freeway.

This is pretty amazing because on any given Saturday, it's so busy out here, it's a traffic nightmare, bumper to bumper. Believe me I have been stuck in it many times before, screaming kids in the back seat, you're going crazy. Anyway, no screaming kids today. No cars on the freeway. It will be just the media. And it will be a short window of opportunity we have to go down there and get a closer look. So we'll bring that to you when we have it, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Looking forward to that. Thanks so much. I'm glad you're not stuck in traffic with the screaming kids in the backseat.

All right. Kareen Wynter. Appreciate that.

All right. So for more on the traffic situation in Los Angeles, let's go to Sandra Endo who is on Ventura Boulevard where it has been smooth sailing all day long. How is it going now, Sandra?

SANDRA ENDO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, your fingers were crossed as are so many of the people here and it seems like their wishes are working because look at Ventura Boulevard right now. It's free flowing as you mentioned. All of those warnings, those crazy PR announcements, well, they seemed to have scared everyone away because the traffic is actually less than a normal day here on Ventura Boulevard.

This is one of the main streets on San Fernando Valley. And clearly a lot of people have chosen to stay home or take other means of transportation. I'm sitting here at a bus stop because local officials are urging people to take mass transit. They're actually allowing people to ride for free this weekend in the affected areas, more busses, more train service, and we're trying to figure out how people are getting around. We're seeing some people ride their bikes, which is good, here in Los Angeles. But also some people are doing the rare thing that a lot of people never, ever do out here and is walk. That is what Jim has been doing. You actually are walking home from running an errand?

JIM KASIM, LOS ANGELES RESIDENT: I am.

ENDO: That's so rare here in L.A.. KASIM: No, it usually is rare, a lot of people use their car, including me. And our family's just car oriented, especially living in Los Angeles, but today we chose to walk to Starbucks and do our other errands around the neighborhood and so that's what we're doing.

ENDO: So you listened to all the warnings, the three months of preparation for this. The doom and gloom scenarios that this is going to be carmageddon. What's it like out there though?

KASIM: It's relatively calm. I think the mayor and the city did a fantastic job in getting the word out. I think folks have listened to the mayor and heeded all the warnings and so they're being relatively reasonable by staying away from this area especially since it's a major artery in L.A..

ENDO: Well, Jim, you're doing your part this weekend. Thank you very much. I guess everyone thanks you because traffic is so light, so enjoy using those tennis shoes for once.

KASIM: Thank you very much.

ENDO: All right. Fred, it could start a trend perhaps out here, but I have a feeling that Kareen will soon be driving around with those three screaming kids again because everyone is addicted to their cars out here.

WHITFIELD: They sure are. Well that will resume on Monday I'm sure. Thanks so much. Sandra Endo, appreciate that.

All right. Overseas, a CNN crew in the line of fire.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): There's gun fire, all around us. And we believe that -

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: That's our Ben Wedeman. His riveting exclusive report straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The United States now recognizes the rebel movement fighting Moammar Gadhafi as the legitimate governing authority in Libya. U.S. Secretary of state Hillary Clinton announced that yesterday in Turkey. It's a major development since it may allow the rebel access to - the rebels, rather, access to Gadhafi regime assets frozen by the U.S.. At the same time, human rights watch accuses rebels in Libya of beating civilians and looting their homes.

CNN's senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman went to one of the four villages named in the report, to investigate but then he and his crew got caught in a cross fire, watch.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) WEDEMAN (voice-over): This is how our day started, ambushed by Gadhafi loyalists.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wait, wait.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You in, Mary?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

WEDEMAN (on camera): There's gun fire all around us, and we believe that Gadhafi's forces are doing a round about movement. So we are rushing out of this area.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Guys, Alex?

WEDEMAN: We're going as fast as we can. We can't tell who the -- straight through there. Is the other car behind us?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: it's behind us, yes.

WEDEMAN: All right. That's a lot of gun fire. Continuing to come through. Gadhafi's forces apparently have entered Qawalish, the town we were in just the other day when the rebels entered on the 6th of July and there's talk that they might be building up forces to make a counter attack and it looks like the counter attack is going on right now.

(voice-over): But Qawalish on this day was lightly defended at best and it's defenders didn't put up much of a fight. We came back to this checkpoint which is about halfway between Qawalish, the town that's apparently fallen (INAUDIBLE), and we're told we need to go back even further because Gadhafi's forces are on the move and as you can see, the traffic is only going back in one direction, nothing that way.

(voice-over): They're running away with their weapons, this man shouts. This man is fleeing with his wife and six children. This is the result of people not being ready, he says. They abandoned their positions. They should be there all the time. We retreated to a house near (INAUDIBLE) where we found a group of fighters preparing their weapons for a counter attack. All their weapons were captured from the enemy.

Mohamed, one of the fighters didn't want to appear on camera because he has relatives in Tripoli and told me local fighters from nearby villagers were careless.

What happened today, he says, was that nobody was watching the front. If they had, they would have seen the Libyan army was moving forward.

Cars and pickups full of fighters gathered by the roadside. The plan, says Commander Mukhtar Al-Akhdar, is to stop the Gadhafi's forces and push them back. Part of that plan was to pound the loyalist with rockets and then move forward toward (INAUDIBLE) which they were able to take. But rockets don't stop coming in. As well as the occasional incoming bullet. Nearly 30 rebel fighters were wounded in the battle, at least eight were killed, all to regain control of a town they had captured the week before.

Ben Wedeman, CNN, Qawalish, western Libya.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And on to the Netherlands now, a television and radio blackout because of this, this 1,000 foot television and radio tower on fire collapsing there, still unclear what caused the fire. One theory, lightning.

And it is soccer fever, the U.S. women's soccer team is getting ready for tomorrow's World Cup final. Team USA is playing against Japan. The ladies are spending today practicing in Frankfurt, Germany. The last time the women's soccer team won the World Cup was in 1999.

And just because you're in a retirement community doesn't mean you can't have a little fun. Coming up, we'll introduce you to a group of seniors who are really feeling good.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. I think it's time for another little viral moment. Bonnie Schneider with me now, and this will make a lot of people feel good just as the residents of this retirement community clearly are feeling very, very good.

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: That's right. We can see some definitely interesting singing. You can see. You have heard of lip syncing? But have you heard of lip dubbing. That's the title of the video that combines lip syncing and audio dubbing to make a U.S. video. Take a look at the latest lip dub straight out of Michigan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

WHITFIELD: Oh, I really like that.

SCHNEIDER: I like that a lot.

WHITFIELD: I think the Michael Buble song "Feelin' Good" and all that was coming to mind was seeing all these Beach Boys tunes because of what you mentioned earlier. So now I'm with it. I like that.

SCHNEIDER: Yes, that's a remake of an old song. Really nice.

WHITFIELD: That's really sweet.

SCHNEIDER: Well done.

WHITFIELD: OK. So this retirement community, this is the Clark Retirement Community in Grand Rapids, Michigan, teaming up with the Grand Valley State University of Film and the video production students alone as well.

SCHNEIDER: Yes. They did a great job.

WHITFIELD: And I understand why it has gone viral. Oh, this is great.

SCHNEIDER: Yes, can you believe, 200,000 hits, maybe more. Probably after this, (INAUDIBLE).

WHITFIELD: I am not surprised.

SCHNEIDER: We'll see more of these.

WHITFIELD: No, I just want to see the whole thing. All right. What else is going on? Anything that will make people feel good?

SCHNEIDER: OK. Unfortunately -

WHITFIELD: The weather's feeling hot.

SCHNEIDER: For the elderly, this is particularly dangerous, this extreme heat. So if you neighbors out there, just check on them over the next few days. That holds true especially for Minneapolis. Let's take a look.

We're looking weather wise, unfortunately, is more extreme heat and it's not getting any better. So the heat advisories and the warnings continue. If you zoom in right here into Minnesota, what you'll find is we are look at some really tough conditions with warnings ahead across much of Michigan and into Sioux Falls, also into Des Moines. These warnings will persist for the next few days. In fact, Minneapolis seeing the brunt of it with records being shattered. Heat indexes will eventually climb well into the triple digits even above 110 and that's what makes it so dangerous with this big ridge of high pressure not going anywhere, and the jet stream not really moving, so storms aren't really coming through to cool you down. You can see the forecast for the next few days stays hot and gets even hotter. Sunday and Monday, some of the worst of it. About 97 degrees for the high, look at the low temperatures, they stay at almost 80 or warmer over the next few days.

So this is going to be an oppressive situation that's not going to get much better. And as you can see, I'll put this into motion, look at the jet, it doesn't really move much and when you see that - kind of a big ridge overhead, that's one of the reasons that the air is stagnant and you see the hot temperatures as far south as Dallas, Texas. Just to let you know we're also tracking some stormy weather, and it's right here along I-10.

If you're driving from Alabama to Florida, you know what I'm talking about, these storms have popped up and they are intense over parts of south Georgia and then further to the west, in the Baton Rouge area and now in New Orleans, we're getting some storms there. So just be careful out there. I know it's a nice break from the heat, but remember these storms can be severe at times. So be careful and watch out for heavy downpours as well as frequent lightning strikes. WHITFIELD: Wow! Well, you know, with this kind of heat, all the more reason to stay inside these days too. Maybe catch a movie this weekend? Sounds great. What do you think? OK. A big hit this weekend, of course, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows." The long awaited "Deathly Hollows Part II," it's finally in movie theaters now. Already it has set one box office record and it could turn out to be the most popular Harry Potter movie of all. So of the previous Harry Potter movies, which brought in the most cash? Was it "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone"? "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire"? "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix"? Or "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince." The answer, straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. So before the break, we asked you, a little Harry Potter trivia. We all know that J.K. Rowling cashes in with every film and book release. But which Harry Potter movie has brought in the most cash so far? The answer? "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone." The very first movie released.

So the eighth and final Harry Potter movie is already working a little magic at the box office, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part Two" opened this week to spell bound fans and midnight screenings. Early Friday morning, already brought in a record breaking $43.5 million. Unbelievable.

Another film at theaters this weekend, a new version of Disney's Winnie the Pooh. I just like saying that.

Movie critic Matt Atchity joins us now from Los Angeles. You didn't get stuck in traffic? No carmageddon for you, smooth sailing?

MATT ATCHITY, ROTTENTOMATOES.COM; No, not at all.

WHITFIELD: The honeymooner that you are now?

ATCHITY: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Newlywed, I should say. OK. Congratulations on that, Matt.

ATCHITY: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: OK. So let's talk about Harry Potter. This is the first one of our two that we're going to kind of review right now?

ATCHITY: Yes.

WHITFIELD: "Deathly Hollows Part Two," what did you think?

ATCHITY: Yes, "Deathly Hollows Part Two." It's the last in the series and I loved it. As someone who's watched all these movies, as someone who has enjoyed them, this is an excellent goodbye to the franchise.

WHITFIELD: Oh, fantastic. ATCHITY: There's a lot of people out there who are going to be kind of sad, but this is a fantastic movie. This is everything you could have hoped for out of the final film.

WHITFIELD: All right. Let's take a quick look at it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARRY POTTER: Do you think they exist, sir?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I see no reason to put stock in total wives tales.

HARRY POTTER: You're lying. You know one exists. You told him about it. You told him about the elder one and where he could go looking for it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh, Daniel Radcliffe all grown up there, can you watch, can you go to this movie if you haven't seen the previous ones?

ATCHITY: Absolutely not. In fact, I haven't seen the - I hadn't seen Part One since it was in theaters and I have to say I was a little bit lost for the first five minutes because it doesn't give you any prologue. It's like it comes back from a commercial break. There's no previously on Harry Potter that you get, no prologue or anything, it just jumps you right in. But it's fantastic. You know, if you follow these books, you kind of know the story but they still make it really exciting. There's a battle scene between an army of wizards that is like nothing you have ever seen on screen before. And it's a very moving film. It's, you know, it's a wonderful goodbye to these characters that we have seen on screen for 10 years.

WHITFIELD: It is unbelievable that it's had this kind of life expectancy. So what kind of a grade are you giving it

ATCHITY: I give Harry, I give him high marks. I give him an "A."

WHITFIELD: OK. I thought that was coming. You said you loved it, love, love it.

OK. So now who doesn't love Winnie the Pooh? And now we got a new version that's hitting the big screen. Let's take a quick look at it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WINNIE THE POOH: That is a very fine looking pot of honey, you've got there.

OWL: And so remarkably gooey.

WINNIE THE POOH: Gooey? Oh, what happens to be my personal favorite.

OWL: Ooh, what do you have there, my boy? WINNIE THE POOH: A note I found at Christopher Robbins' with strange words I cannot read.

PIGLET: Hey, you can't read more words anyway.

WINNIE THE POOH: Yes, but especially not the strange ones.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Who doesn't love Winnie the Pooh? OK. I grew up on Winnie the Pooh, you probably did too. If I were to go see this, would I like it?

ATCHITY: Yes, you would love it. You would absolutely love it. They absolutely catch the spirit of the old films. This is hand drawn animation. It's a beautiful movie. The voices are very true to what we've heard before and that's Jim Cummings who is now "Winnie the Pooh" doing an excellent Sterling Holloway, you might remember who did the original voice.

A couple of new voices here, Craig Ferguson is the voice of Owl, narrated by John Cleese. We got songs from Zooey Deschanel that are very cute. This is an excellent, excellent entry into the "Winnie the Pooh" franchise, so to speak. The little kids who were at the screening I was at really loved it. The adults, and I, were laughing a lot. They really catch the spirit of these characters but the jokes are really funny and they're really sharp. And this is an excellent movie. I found myself laughing and enjoying myself far more than I expected.

WHITFIELD: Oh, that's so sweet. And real quick, your grade?

ATCHITY: I give it an "A," the other really good option.

WHITFIELD: Wow.

ATCHITY: If you're in the midwest and trying to avoid that heat, you've got some excellent options at the theaters this weekend.

WHITFIELD: I see. Folks are going to be heading to the theaters if they're not there already. Thanks to your recommendations on that.

ATCHITY: Exactly.

WHITFIELD: Matt Atchity, thanks so much and congrats again on your nuptials.

ATCHITY: Oh, thanks a lot.

WHITFIELD: All right. Appreciate that.

All right. The extraordinary measures to keep Casey Anthony's release from jail a secret. Reporters are being allowed to spend the night in jail but just to get the inside scoop.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: In one week's time, Rupert Murdoch lost one of his biggest newspapers, two of his CEOs and now he has to explain all of that to Britain's parliament. It's the scandal that prompted this full-page apology in several British papers today. Rupert Murdoch promising to make changes in the way his people do business, saying we're sorry.

But we talked to a media analyst in London today, who says Parliament doesn't want apologies. It wants to know if Murdoch's reporters were following their boss' personal agenda.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NIGEL WALMSLEY, FMR. CHAIRMAN, CARLTON TELEVISION: I think that is the question, that media commentators, competitors and politicians have wanted to ask Mr. Murdoch for 30 years and this is their opportunity to ask it. And it is the bigger, wider question, is there an undue influence between his newspapers and politics and government in this country, or is that a conspiracy theory?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: A non-Murdoch friendly crowd met the media mogul when he left a London hotel yesterday. He was there to meet and apologize with the family of a murdered teenager whose phone was allegedly hacked by reporters at a Murdoch-owned tabloid.

Back in this country, 178 educators allegedly involved in the Atlanta school cheating scandal have been told to quit by Wednesday or be fired. Teachers all across the district are accused of fixing the standardized test scores of failing students. A state investigation reveals the cheating goes back a decade. Some educators could face criminal charges.

Epic gridlock? Massive traffic jams? Well, so far there is no Carmageddon in Los Angeles. Crews are demolishing a bridge that's part of the 405 Highway construction project. And so, that 10-mile stretch is closed and folks thought that might bring gridlock on all the other roads and freeways. Well, it hasn't so far.

And remember those $4 JetBlue flights between Burbank and Long Beach, well, they were touted as a way to bypass that Carmageddon. Well, we wanted to see if flying from one side of town was faster than actually driving around the construction.

CNN producers Paul Vercammen and Lindy Hall conducted the test. Lindy flew and is joining us by phone and Paul drove. So let's check in with Paul, you first, you're still driving?

PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN PRODUCER: I'm driving back to Burbank Airport after messing around at Long Beach Airport for a while. This went so smoothly, Fred, you can't believe it. You know, I - admittedly I got on to the wrong onramp at one point. I also had all kinds of other things going on, not the least of which was we got some water and we were messing with this equipment that allows us to go live while driving, so it was 54 minutes and an absolute, as say they would say, piece of cake, Fred. WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh. That's great. Very encouraging. I don't know if that's going to mean people are now going to venture out or they're going to, you know, remain off the roads so that there will not be any gridlock?

VERCAMMEN: I would say that if traffic was like this all the time, people would, you know, be happy to take such adventures on a Friday, but you just don't see this. I'm on the 710 Freeway right now and this is moving away from Long Beach. So it is an absolute pleasure to drive today.

WHITFIELD: Oh, fantastic. That is great to hear, Paul. Thanks so much.

Let's check in with Lindy. And Lindy Hall decides to get on one of those JetBlue flights, took advantage of that $4 each way flight between Burbank and Long Beach. So, Lindy, where are you? Have you reached your destination? And how long did it take?

LINDY HALL, CNN PRODUCER (via telephone): I'm having a hard time hearing you, Fredricka, but I can tell you even though Paul won, we are having more fun. I know it. Because there have been huge receptions at every gate, cake, tons of food, there's a convivial atmosphere everywhere, balloons. We went on the plane, got down, we each got gift bags. When was the last time you flew and got a gift bag full of chips and cookies and waters?

It was an incredibly full flight and everybody applauded and laughed, everyone was taking pictures out the window, the pilot, one guy sitting next to me said, it's almost like we're on a sightseeing tour because we flew over the 405 and it was completely empty. We flew by - then you almost like circled around and we saw the Mulholland Bridge coming down, I was on the wrong side of the plane for that. But it was really great fun.

WHITFIELD: Wow. So in the end, you know, start to finish, it took you about how long compared to Paul's 54 minutes?

HALL: Well, one hour and 41 minutes, is when we both started our stop watches, I stopped mine at one hour and 41 minutes, so -

WHITFIELD: OK. Not bad, considering -

HALL: -- he beat me by a lot.

WHITFIELD: Not bad considering you seem to have had the most fun you say with cake and cookies and fanfare.

HALL: Exactly.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much Lindy Hall and Paul Vercammen for your commutes between Long Beach and Burbank.

All right. Back to the East Coast now, Casey Anthony is set to walk out of a Florida jail sometime tomorrow. Details of her release are being kept secret because of concerns for her safety. In an extraordinary move, though, the prison is allowing three journalists to embed in the jail so that they can take pictures of the release as it happens. Anthony was acquitted earlier this month in the death of her 2-year-old daughter Caylee. She is finishing a short sentence for lying to investigators, conviction on misdemeanors.

Well, earlier today, I talked with a clinical and forensic psychologist, who told me for her own safety, Casey Anthony will have to alter the behavior she has displayed during her trial if she hopes to stay safe outside of jail.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHERYL ARUTT, FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGIST: There were many, many instances where she seemed to be really reveling in the attention and smiling inappropriately and kind of forgetting almost that this was her murder trial. And so, I think it's probably difficult to make clear, particularly to someone who's been shielded from a lot of the media coverage that everyone else has been seeing, to really make her understand how crucial it is to be - to be humble, to not be attention seeking, to not be looking smug because that's really bound to - to be dangerous to her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. Again, Casey Anthony is due to be released from a Florida jail sometime tomorrow.

All right. So, it's summertime and dining out may be one of the main things on your agenda, but beware, food born illnesses could come along with the territory. Here's some of the mistakes that restaurants apparently make that cause these problems.

Number one, cross contamination, chefs preparing raw meat with other foods with foods like salads, that's a huge no-no. Sick workers, employees can sneeze or pass on their cold to you, and food allergies, always ask if your dish contains certain items that you're allergic to. And then temperature-controlled food is not always stored at the right temperature. Sanitation, storage areas in kitchens are not always kept as clean as they need to be.

This all might seem overwhelming and a little bit scary, but stay tuned, because after the break, we will give you four ways to protect yourself when dining out.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: OK. So before the break, we let you in on what some restaurants do wrong that can cause food born illnesses. But now we have four easy ways that you can actually protect yourself when dining out.

Order well done meats. Order fully cooked eggs, no runny yolks, white, et cetera. Order cooked vegetables instead of raw salad and refrigerate leftovers immediately and warm enough thoroughly when you are ready to finally eat it. All right. So one way to beat the summer heat - flip flops. Everybody wears them, right? Well, they might be harming your feet. That's the subject of our weekly look at how to get healthy and stay healthy.

Healthy Living expert, Dr. Bill Lloyd joins us now from Sacramento. You're supposed to have those flip flops on your feet, Dr. Bill. But it's hard to believe that something -

DR. BILL LLOYD, HEALTHY LIVING EXPERT: I don't wear those cheap flip flops.

WHITFIELD: You don't do it. OK. It's hard to believe that something so simple and comfortable might not be good for you, in what way?

LLOYD: Well, foot specialists say these cheap flip flops are actually worse than walking around barefoot. Here's the reasons why. First of all, they provide no cushioning, so this can be continuous impact against the sole of your foot. This causes an increase of some mechanical stress that for young people last all summer long because all they wear are the flip flops and this, of course, over time is going to lead to problems.

Did you know, Fredricka, when you wear a flip flop, you actually change the stride, because your foot tries to stay inside the flip flop and that alters the way you walk. So over time, you can develop heel pain, ankle pain and even leg pain going up to your shin, tendonitis caused by wearing these flip flops.

And finally, when you wear the flip flop, your toenails are exposed, so that means an increase in nail trauma as well as the possibility of the evil nail fungus.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness. OK. So this is a problem both for the younger audience, of people who wear flip flops, as well as older folks, right?

LLOYD: Yes. We associate flip-floppings with older folks. But for young adults, what's important to know is that the bones on their feet are still growing, even when they're 17 or 18, especially the bones in the heel. So, again, without that cushion, the continuous impact on those still developing bones can cause problems that could last a lifetime.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh. So what's the alternative? I mean, just about all of us are going to wear flip flops especially when you're at the beach or at the pool. You're saying rule them out completely or just don't wear them long term?

LLOYD: No, I'm saying be a smart shopper. When you look for a pair of flip flops, make sure that this got a rigid design that you can't bend it or roll it into a ball. Compared to this one, you can fold it easy like a piece of paper.

This one is stiff, it's going to have the support you need and it's going to have the arch support and the cushioning that you're going to want that's going to provide the shock absorption to protect your foot throughout the summer.

You're right, though. You mentioned that you alternate some other footwear. Wear sneakers once in a while. Take out a pair of light shoes once in a while and give your stride a break whenever possible.

And don't forget, Fredricka, price always mirrors quality. You get what you pay for. So if somebody's trying to sell you a $3 pair of flip flops, you're going to be in trouble come the fall.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness. All right. Thanks so much, Dr. Bill Lloyd, tread lightly and carefully.

LLOYD: We'll talk again soon.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much. Appreciate that.

All right. Next, we're going to talk about Carmageddon or not.

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WHITFIELD: All right. We're not seeing the feared traffic gridlock from the closure of the 405 Freeway in Los Angeles today, that whole Carmageddon thing. But we are getting a closer look at the billion- dollar construction project that triggered that catch phrase.

Let's go to CNN's Kareen Wynter, who was on the 405 and - oh, still on the 405. That's very - that's very weird, isn't?

KAREEN WYNTER, CNN GENERAL ASSIGNMENT CORRESPONDENT: I am.

WHITFIELD: Being a pedestrian on the 405 right now.

WYNTER: It does. It feels absolutely eerie, Fred, and I'm coming to you from the fast lane. Take a look. This is the fast lane and on any given Saturday, I wouldn't dare do this. The members of the media - check out everyone here. They wouldn't be doing this because this freeway would be jam packed just back up, bumper to bumper.

But why are we here? Well, because we've been given this rare opportunity to capture what's going on here as a result of that billion-dollar project you're talking about.

You know, just to put this into perspective. You see those white tents the way at the top, Fred? That's where we've been coming from given you the reports all day long and so this gives us a different bird's-eye view as to all the work that's going on here.

In the distance, that's the goal. To get that bridge partially demolished by Monday. That's the big deadline and crews have been busy since yesterday when they shut down this freeway yesterday evening. And, boy, do they have their work cutout for them.

But, you know, we have been checking in and they say things are progressing. They have reached a few hiccups here and there with some of the equipments, but they're on schedule and it was really fascinating to see, not sure if we can show you this, but off to the side, there are residents, there are spectators taking in all of the action and checking it all out.

What hasn't been good, though, the LAPD told CNN that they arrested a jogge. That's right. Someone who's actually trying to get close to the 405, we're allowed here, but it's a really, really heavily contained sight right now. We're just allowed here for a few minutes. There's police all around us. And they've had several security breaches they tell us of these people in the neighborhood, being unsafe, crossing those lines just to get a shot.

But this is - this is what it's all about. You know, this, again, very, very rare. It's usually packed with lots of cars. We probably will never get a chance to do this any time soon, Fred, so we're capturing it all and hoping that you enjoy it as much as we do, covering it all here.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

WYNTER: Absolutely incredible, but - but eerie.

WHITFIELD: But Kareen - yes, it's kind of strange. So I wonder, you said partially demolished bridge, so they're not trying to demolish and get it all done by Monday because they don't want to have to do this again, shut the 405, right?

WYNTER: Well, they're going to be doing it again in the future. So in order to reach Monday's deadline, and that's a great question, because a lot of people were confused about that. They're partially demolishing it, so this section, they're working on it right now and then they'll be tackling it again for half of next year.

WHITFIELD: OK.

WYNTER: But, right now, this is what they're doing. And they are hoping -

WHITFIELD: Got it.

WYNTER: -- to reach that deadline by Monday morning. I hear they'll be fined, Fred, if they don't get it done in time, so let's hope that they stay on schedule.

WHITFIELD: All right. Very good. Thanks for that very unique view of the 405. Kareen Wynter, appreciate that.

All right. Time for "CNN Equals Politics" update right now. We're keeping an eye on all the latest headlines at the CNNPolitics.com desk. And here's what's crossing right now.

The U.S. is one day closer to missing the deadline to pay its bills. The Democratic sources telling CNN's Jessica Yellin that internal meetings are going on inside the White House right now dealing with the debt ceiling crisis.

The Sarah Palin documentary "The Undefeated" opened in a handful of theaters nationwide Friday. Distributors put the film in just 10 theaters. Mostly in conservative areas like Orange County, California and Dallas, Texas. "Atlantic Magazine" is reporting the film played to a near empty theater in Southern California, it did much in Dallas where the "Dallas Star Telegram" reports at least one show sold out.

And Michele Bachmann may have entered the GOP presidential race late in the game, but she is managing to raise more dough than most of her competitors. Bachmann is reporting contributions totaling $4.2 million for the second quarter. She still lags behind money frontrunner Mitt Romney, who is reporting more than $18 million raised. But she's light years ahead of Newt Gingrich, who was reportedly a million dollars in debt.

And for the latest political news, you know exactly where to go, CNNPolitics.com.

All right. Would you pay $28 for a CD? How about $20 for a club sandwich and soda? Well, if you live in the world's most expensive city, you would. I'm rounding up the top five of expensive cities, Geneva, Switzerland coming in at number four; Moscow, Russia, and the third most expensive city in the world? That one - in Chad.

Did any U.S. cities crack the top two? I have the answer after this.

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WHITFIELD: OK. So next time you hear someone complaining about rising cost, be thankful that you were not living in one of the world's most expensive cities. Here's a look at the cities rounding up the top five now.

Coming in second place, Tokyo, Japan, and the number one costliest place to live on earth, Luanda, Angola. New York, by the way, came in 23rd.

All right, a bear attack, a judge attacked and an iPad priced too good to be true. These are some of the stories that we're following this hour.

Let's begin in Colorado where wildlife officials think they have killed a bear that attacked a teenaged camper Friday. The 13-year-old says he was sleeping when the bear entered his tent and it bit him on the leg. Another camper managed to distract the 200-pound animal allowing the boy to escape.

And now onto an attack of a very different kind, watch what happens during a court appearance in Kentucky right there. A woman charging at the judge, trying to climb over the bench and attack. But judge, the bailiffs wrestled her to the floor, as you saw there, the judge gave her 120 days in jail.

And finally now, Sears may have some damage control to do over an iPad 2 offer that proved too good to be true. Online shoppers cruising the Sears.com site found the pricey gadgets offered in an unbelievably low price of just $69. Pretty good deal there, well, since they usually sell for over $700. The iPad 2, that is.

Problem is Sears says the ad was a mistake, and a third party, not Sears is actually responsible. So Sears says it's not honoring the incorrect price. Oh, you know, folks were pretty hot over that one.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. I'm sure they are.

WHITFIELD: Don Lemon here now with much more of the NEWSROOM straight ahead.

LEMON: Hi, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Hi.

LEMON: I am obsessed with this "News of the World" story. I'm obsessed with the Murdoch story. It's unbelievable. You know, I started watching "Citizen Kane" just for this story. It's amazing. It is amazing.

And I'm going to be talking to a man who knows a lot about this. His name is Paul McMullen, Fred. He's a former "News of the World" reporter who (INAUDIBLE) secretly recorded talking about the phone hacking. I've got a lot of questions for him, because, you know, now, there's an FBI investigation and also some other folks are resigning in this.

And also that story, Fred, that we've been following out of Rochester, New York. Take a look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EMILY GOOD, ROCHESTER, NEW YORK : I'm observing what they're doing and they're arresting me, I don't understand what's going on. I did nothing, I did nothing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: We have been following this story, that's Emily Good. She's talking about being arrested videotaping and police arrested her in her front yard, police arresting her in. And we have been following it for a few weeks.

We have sent a reporter and a crew to the city and the reporter spoke with the mayor and the police department as well. And so, I'm going to be talking talk to a local - a local lawmaker who says that he has been the target of police retaliation as well.

And I want you to real quickly to meet Mama Jazz and her unique fingernail style and her long - her longest nail 26 inches long.

WHITFIELD: Wow.

LEMON: That's her thumb. So I have some questions for her as well. She's going to be joining me.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Like how do you function in life? Can't wait to hear.

LEMON: How she did all (ph) of that, Fred?

WHITFIELD: OK. Don Lemon, thanks so much. We'll see you with much more in the NEWSROOM in a few minutes.

LEMON: All right.

WHITFIELD: That will do for me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. See you again tomorrow at 2:00 Eastern Time.

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