Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
House Rejects Senate Debt Plan; Texas Drought Worst; Amanda Knox's Appeal; Seattle Restaurant Rents Kayaks; Debt Ceiling Drama; August Brings Severe Heat; "Face to Face" with Margaret Cho; "Life" As You've Never Seen It
Aired July 30, 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: OK. Both Mitch McConnell and John Boehner there underscoring that they believe that this crisis will end, however, neither would be specific about how they believe it will come to an end, instead putting it on the president saying, John Boehner saying tell us what he's for. He needs to, meaning the president, "needs to get us out of the cul-de-sac that he has driven us into."
Kate Bolduan is on Capitol Hill. So Kate, this is very interesting because both Mitch McConnell and John Boehner saying it really is up to the president to get the nation on track with this. Even though it's both Houses of Congress which have yet to agree on one solid plan. What's going on here?
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, and also something - I'm having a little bit of a feedback, I'm sorry, Fredricka, I'm going to pull this out of my ear. But an interesting point that we heard just here, just now from the Republican leader of the Senate Mitch McConnell, him saying that in the past hour, I believe, is what he said, that he has spoken with the vice president and the president and saying that they are now fully engaged in negotiations. That's more of an affirmative statement than being involved and having these conversations started that we have heard throughout the day. And that's one thing that reporters have really been asking throughout the day, is when is the negotiation going to be start? Obviously, the deadline is coming.
What we're seeing now on Capitol Hill is the following, we have now today seen House Speaker John Boehner's bill rejected by the Senate, that was yesterday. Then we have Senate majority leader Harry Reid's bill, that was just rejected by the House earlier today. And while we're also seeing kind of a lot of heated rhetoric and heated commentary on both the floor of the House and Senate, the focus is really off of the floor, kind of these back channel negotiations that really need to start at this point if they're going to reach a compromise before the deadline as it is quickly approaching.
But the question continues to remain, Fredericka and you really asked it and it's the same question that we're all asking and will need to be answered soon is how do they thread the needle here, how to they kind something here that is some kind of middle of the road, some kind of maybe some kind of tweak to Reid's bill or a tweak to Boehner's bill that will be palatable enough to get enough Republicans and Democrats on board in both chambers to pass it through Congress and get it on the president's desk. That question remains open, that remains unanswered.
But at least now we are hearing that conversations are happening and we are one thing that I took away from the press conference just now and that I've also heard from Senator Reid as well as other senators that we have talked to off of the floor, is that there a level of seriousness. They are trying to give some reassurance that they are very dedicated to avoiding the problem of what will happen come August 2nd. That seems to be one assurance, but still the fact of the matter is we are ticking, ticking, ticking up against that deadline and they have not reached the compromise that is so necessary. Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: OK. Hopefully our audio is a little bit better now. Let me know if you can hear me with this question. But Mitch McConnell, you know, underscoring there, saying the country will not default. While both have just said, Boehner and Mitchell, they're unclear about what kind of plan will go forward, both are trying to sound very confident that this nation will meet the deadline. So it really does sound like two different messages, how can they be so sure if they're very unclear right now what would be passed.
BOLDUAN: That's a good question and I can assure you they're saying less to the public right now in front of camera than I'm sure what's being said in those negotiations. But at the very same time, they are watching the markets just as much as the American people are watching the markets. They do not want to see further problems in the markets come Monday and that is one thing that I can assure you is adding to the pressure of them reaching an agreement.
But while we continue to say they're very serious and very dedicated to reaching the said beating this deadline, reaching some sort of agreement to raise the debt ceiling and reduce the deficits in some manner, still it seems that both sides are waiting for the other to blink and we're - I'm hopeful that, expect that we'll see some kind of movement towards a compromise today, but it is a fluid situation and we're tracking it by the minute, really.
WHITFIELD: Kate Bolduan, thanks so much, on Capitol Hill. Thanks so much.
Let's go to the White House where we find Brianna Keilar and we also understand, Brianna, that both Nancy Pelosi, Democrat Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, maybe they're at the White House by now. They were called to go to the White House shortly after making appearances on Capitol Hill. Are they there yet? And if so, what kind of discussions are taking place?
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: We don't know Fredricka if they're here yet, although according to a White House official, this was supposed to begin at 3:30 p.m., we're not always privy to seeing them come and go, sometimes we just find out if they're coming and honestly we heard it was Senator Reid who said that he was coming over here to the White House, why? White House officials says very simply and I know this may seem very obvious to give the president an update on the situation involving these debt negotiations.
Also this is going to be what we call closed press. That means that our travel pool cameras will not be allowed inside so we're not even going to be able to see a picture of this. But you heard Kate mention those back channel negotiations that are going on, Fredricka. It seems very important to come to an agreement here.
Vice president Joe Biden has been very involved and as we heard the Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell - he said that he had spoken here in the last hour both with the president and with the vice president. So these back channel negotiations are going on in earnest. They're going on very much in secret, but these are seen between the White House and certainly the Senate, because you hear the White House really pointing to the Senate as a place to come to a deal here.
We know that President Obama has not been talking a lot recently with Speaker Boehner. We know that this is seen as key to coming to an agreement ahead of that August 2nd deadline.
WHITFIELD: Because it's very interesting because, you know, House Speaker Boehner underscored, quoting him now saying that "it's up to the president to decide on an agreement."
KEILAR: Yes, and actually that was something that was really interesting to me because there is now a debate that you're hearing going on. I think poll numbers have shown that Americans are kind of disgusted by how all of this is going down, how this is being pushed down to the wire, how chaotic things seem in Washington and honestly we know that Congress definitely does push things to the wire. This is sort of a negotiating position where Democrats and Republicans try to get as much as they can, but in this case, going toward the possibility of a default, this is very serious.
So you're hearing both sides kind of battle for this message, Fredricka, of who's at fault here for how this is all going down and becoming so chaotic. I took a note where it said - I think it was the speaker, and he said that he had an agreement with Mr. McConnell, the Senate minority leader and Mr. Reid, the Senate majority leader and that that was a solid agreement and it was the president really who put the kabosh on that last Sunday.
If you listen, though, to Democrats in the White House and we have heard them address this before, Fredricka, they said that there was no agreement. They would take issue with that statement as being - they would say that it was not factual, and the reason they would say that is because the idea that was sort of, I guess, I don't want to say presented because you had Republicans saying that it had been presented to the president, but it was sort of the concept that House Republicans wanted which ultimately was the Boehner plan.
The White House and Senate Democrats say they were in lock step in opposition, because in mere view, it included the second vote on the debt ceiling somewhere around the new year, that in their opinion would leave the U.S. nowhere but having this debate all over again. It's a new year and they didn't want to deal with that, Fredricka. WHITFIELD: All right. Brianna Keilar, thanks so much. Keep us posted on what's taking place at the White House. Appreciate that.
All right. A programming note, Republican Senator Mitch McConnell will be on at CNN's "State of the Union" to discuss the debt debate. That's tomorrow morning, 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time.
And our Wolf Blitzer and Don Lemon will break down all the hurdles and options in the special "Get It Done - Countdown to Debt Crisis," Sunday night, 9:00 p.m. Eastern, only on CNN.
All right. Later, at this hour, Margaret Cho, you know her for her comedy and for being a gay rights activist.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARGARET CHO, GAY RIGHTS ACTIVIST: In my world, everything is gay, everything is queer, and so to move outside of that, is sort of a strange experience.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: All right. Today she's talking about her very open marriage. Our face to face interview later in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. Taking a look at international headlines now, a low key royal wedding tops our look at international stories. Queen Elizabeth's granddaughter Zara Phillips married rugby player Mike Tindle in a private ceremony in Scotland's capital today. The bride wore an ivory silk gown by Stewart Parvin, one of the queen's favorite designers.
And a 10-hour interrogation of the Norway terror suspect reveals he planned to attack other targets. Investigators aren't saying what the other targets were.
And in Italy, DNA evidence came under scrutiny today at the appeal trial of Amanda Knox. She's the American student convicted of the 2007 murder of her British roommate. The court appointed forensic expert say two key pieces of evidence used to convict her should not have been admitted.
And rain-starved Texas has one bumper crop it does not want. It's an invasion, and it's being fueled by one of the worst droughts in Texas history. An invasion of grasshoppers there.
So when it comes to hot weather, what is the most common symptom of heat injury? Is it thirst? Increased perspiration, headaches or muscle soreness. The answer right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. Before the break, I asked when it comes to hot weather what is the most common symptom of heat injury? Is it thirst, increased perspiration, headache, muscle soreness. The answer, C, headaches. Anyone outdoors in the summer heat who develops a headache should take immediate steps to get to a shady cooler environment and replenish lost fluids.
All right. The state of Texas is used to long, dry, hot spells, but the drought that is gripping the state right now goes well beyond bad. This map shows almost every square inch of Texas colored in the deepest shade of burgundy, that illustrates the worst drought level possible. And these are just some of the pictures that we gathered showing just how extreme conditions are in Texas. Crops are dying in the fields, ponds and streams, and lakes are simply drying up. You see the dead fish right there. Water in very short supply, but there is one bumper crop.
See those little things jumping around right there? Grasshoppers, an invasion of grasshoppers. Texas farmers have repeatedly sprayed but the pests simply keep coming back.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LARRY WALDON, TEXAS FARMER: About 10 days ago we sprayed and probably the crops with grasshoppers that are here now have hatched out since then.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Wow! And if that's not enough, take a look at those cracks right there, evidence of homes shifting from their foundations because of this extremely dry temperatures and the soil there, in some cases foundations have sunk or shifted more than five inches and repairs, by the way, you might have guessed very expensive.
Jacqui Jeras in the weather center now. I have never seen that before.
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes.
WHITFIELD: You know, a house would shift because of dryness, I know definitely because of moisture, a house can shift. That's extraordinary.
JERAS: Right. Well, you know, the same type effect, just the opposite. The ground moves, I have seen pictures from our i-reporters and things just would crack that go all the way through their lawn because the ground is shifting because things have become so dry. And we were hoping to get a little bit of relief, a little bit of rain in here from what was tropical depression Don, no longer tropical. In fact it's basically not existent. It's hard to even find it on the satellite picture anymore as it moves through the Rio Valley here.
It did bring some rainfall, but not nearly as much as we were hoping and moved westward very, very quickly. This map will show you the rainfall totals in the last 24 hours. Take a look at it, about a half of an inch. That's all you saw on the Texas coast. So unfortunately doing nothing to help the drought situation here really, maybe just add a little bit more humidity to make things a little bit more uncomfortable for you today.
Here's what the exceptional drought deficit is, we're talking more than a foot in some of these places. Houston more than 16 inches down from where you should be since January. So this time of the year, you know, we don't get a lot of weather systems that make their way into Texas and so you really do look towards the tropics for providing relief and if you get a tropical depression - that's usually some good news especially if it takes the northward turn and then breezing on to through the state.
Now we're watching our next tropical wave, a high probability that this will become our next named storm. If so, it's name would be tropical storm Emily, all the models really intensifying this a little bit and bringing it over towards the Caribbean, still way too soon to say whether or not this will be affecting the U.S.. If so we're talking about probably a week away.
So we're kind of on pace of what we're expecting to be an active year. There you can see, four names already used up on that list, as I mentioned, Emily will be the next one. So things getting busy in the tropics. The heat still heating up as well across the nation's mid section. Dallas, you're back in on the heat advisories and we were wondering if we were going to break that streak of 100 degrees or more, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
JERAS: Because we had 28 days now, the clouds from what was Don keeping the temperatures down a little bit this morning, we're up to 97. You know, 3:00, We'll probably get to 100 again today.
WHITFIELD: Oh my goodness. Well, of course, it seems like it's never ending. All right. Jacqui, I know you like ponies, horses, right?
JERAS: Sure. Yes.
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: Look at this. Going viral with an interesting annual pony swim. Yes, in Virginia, don't you love to see this?
JERAS: I do.
WHITFIELD: More than 150 ponies hit the water for the 86th annual pony swim, a salt water cowboy.
JERAS: 86th annual?
WHITFIELD: Isn't it something else.
JERAS: I love it.
WHITFIELD: Yes. So this cowboy kind of herds these ponies into the (INAUDIBLE) island in Virginia. Yes, you have seen this every year, right?
JERAS: I don't think I have seen this before, are these wild horses?
WHITFIELD: Yes. I know this happens every year, they're going to be sold at auctions to benefit, you know, the (INAUDIBLE) volunteer fire company.
JERAS: Well, thank you for enlightening me.
WHITFIELD: I know.
JERAS: That is very cool.
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: And look, people come out in droves to see it every year.
JERAS: Yes.
WHITFIELD: I know. Cool stuff.
JERAS: That's gone viral.
WHITFIELD: Per usual.
JERAS: Anything with animals, that's what it does.
WHITFIELD: It does. That's what we usually do.
JERAS: Dogs, horses, turtles.
WHITFIELD: Kittens, you name it.
All right. Jacqui, thanks so much.
And then you got to see this video from Iowa where a welder builds perhaps the world's largest bike. There's more. This is from Lewis, Iowa, near Des Moines. Welder Diane (INAUDIBLE), trying to break the record for the world's largest bike, righty there.
JERAS: This is going to be at the Iowa state fair.
WHITFIELD: Oh my goodness. OK. I'll take that. 32 feet long, 18 feet high. The bike is helping to pay for a student field trip as people pay money to pose with the bike.
JERAS: Actually I think (INAUDIBLE) this week. There's a big bike ride across Iowa where they start at the Missouri River and they end up at the Mississippi River, I think that's part of that.
WHITFIELD: OK. Good. That's fun stuff.
JERAS: Yes.
WHITFIELD: All right. People enjoying themselves outside whether it's hot or not.
All right. Thanks, Jacqui. Appreciate that. OK. And guess what? The Smurfs, they're back, and this time on the big screen. And the little blue guys are hoping to make a lot of green.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Cowboys, aliens and some little blue cartoon characters, they're all hitting the big screen this weekend and our movie critic Grae Drake from Fandango and Movies.com joins us today. So Grae, last week you had a little Tinkerbell thing going on, I was expecting to see a blue cowboy hat today.
GRAE DRAKE, MOVIES.COM: Well, Tinkerbell has flown away to Neverland and my cowboy hat I left at home.
WHITFIELD: OK. We'll talk about what's going on at the big screen right now. OK. Rock star Katie Perry, among those kind of finding her way into the Smurf's movie. She's being a little Smurfette. Let's check out the gang in blue.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know.
ANNOUNCER: This summer.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do not be fooled by their cuteness.
Now it's allowing you -
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Of all the people on the planet, those magical little creatures came to us.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, it's not happening.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ticklish? What are you doing?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: OK. So that was a little fun there. Some other big names in there, Hank Azaria, Jonathan Winters, among others. OK. A Katy movie you like? Or should I say it's a Katy movie?
DRAKE: Yes, you know, Fredricka, do not let the hives song they put over that fool you. If this movie had its own smurf name, it would be pointless smurf.
WHITFIELD: Oh boy.
DRAKE: Like - I had serious eye twitch watching this film and I think kids are going to laugh at it. Because the director Raja Gosnell also did "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" and they're going to find it funny but if you're one of those adults that's been desperately awaiting the live action adaptation of the cartoon, keep waiting. This was -
WHITFIELD: Oh, goodness. This was 3-D also? And it was like coming at you?
DRAKE: Yes, Smurfs coming at you. And it just - that too was kind of pointless and it just made me smurfy in my head. All of the performers really deserve better than this movie because the cartoon was never known for being highbrow, but it was charming and there was none of that in this script at all.
WHITFIELD: Something tells me your grade is going to be dreadful.
DRAKE: Oh my god. I think kids are going to want to fistfight me on this one but I will take every one of them on and I will smurf them up because I gave this movie, F, F, F.
WHITFIELD: Oh a failing grade. Oh my gosh.
DRAKE: That was so failing.
WHITFIELD: OK.
DRAKE: That's flunky smurf. Oh come on. I speak the truth.
WHITFIELD: OK. Well, hopefully this "Cowboys and Aliens" might have done a little bit better. Come on, Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig. It's got to be good. So let's take a quick look at this epic battle between beings from different worlds.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes that's the line again, boss.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want that man. Bring him to me now.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I need to know why you came from?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So do I.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You don't remember anything?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What the hell? Maria!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're coming back.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: OK. You may want to bring some ear plugs because something tells me this is a loud movie. But nonetheless, it looks riveting and good and you know, lots of suspense and all that good stuff, but you tell me what you think?
DRAKE: You know, I think a better title for the movie might have been "Cowboys and Aliens and no character development." But it is a really fun like blending of the genres, western, sci-fi. I mean, they did a good job in that respect. Harrison Ford is really great. My imaginary boyfriend was wonderful as always. Olivia Wilde's eyes were very big. And it's really just they didn't care who lived or died and I have a small problem with that.
WHITFIELD: So you didn't love the characters?
DRAKE: No. I didn't really care one way or the other. But I mean I did see aliens explode. So it has that going for it. You kind of go to this movie to see, you know, a lot of crazy action and explosions and also Daniel Craig looking preposterously good in chaps.
WHITFIELD: Of course, it's Bond, James Bond.
DRAKE: Yes. You know, it was just OK.
WHITFIELD: OK. So you gave Smurf F, something tells me your grade here, you said just OK.
DRAKE: Perfectly average so I give it a C. I think that there are stronger movies, especially last week "Captain America" coming out. I think really blow this one out of the water. But it's fun, --
WHITFIELD: C for cowboys?
DRAKE: Exactly. C for cowboys and C for - I don't know what.
WHITFIELD: Not A for aliens. Darn, oh darn. OK.
DRAKE: Definitely not.
WHITFIELD: Well, you know, I still want to see -
DRAKE: Kind of a ho-hum week.
WHITFIELD: Oh, darn. OK, well, I'm glad you were honest with us. As you always are.
DRAKE: As I am. Better luck next week and "Crazy Stupid Love" is also in theaters which is definitely an A-plus movie. Steve Carrel, I love you.
WHITFIELD: So you already had a chance to peek at that one?
DRAKE: I did. And that is the one I recommend this week.
WHITFIELD: Really?
DRAKE: So look up that trailer everybody and go support them. Ryan Gosling, hip, hip hooray!
WHITFIELD: OK. We'll look at that. Grae Drake, thanks so much. Appreciate it. Good to see you.
DRAKE: Thanks Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right. Seattle, you know, it's home of Starbucks. The setting for "Gray's Anatomy." But there's much more to it, especially by water.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, CNN reporters, anchors and producers cover stories around the world. And that means we also get great tips on some of the best restaurants, hotels and travel spots.
So in this week's "Travel Insider," Patrick Oppmann takes to us a Mexican restaurant in Seattle that rents kayaks.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN ALL PLATFORM JOURNALIST (on camera): I'm Patrick Oppmann in Seattle.
And one of the great things about living in this city is you don't have to go far to find amazing views of the water. Whether it's Puget Sound or the many rivers and lakes that are nearby, it seems like you've got incredible water views just about everywhere you work.
This is actually Agua Verde. It's a Mexican place upstairs. They serve food downstairs. They actually rent out kayaks. The idea is you come here for a bite and then go out for a paddle. It's a unique way to get a different view of the city.
REY LOPEZ, AGUA VERDE PADDLE CLUB: But as you paddle along, you see the history of Seattle. You know, you go underneath the old bridges and you understand (INAUDIBLE) it starts to dawn on you that, really, to get from that side of Seattle to this side of Seattle you had to paddle.
And now people are a little bit more remote, you know, they see the water from afar and they think everything's, you know, great on the water and it looks good to have it there, but they're not really experiencing being on the water.
OPPMANN: For $15 an hour, you can rent a kayak. The restaurant also organizes tours where you can go through lots of an oats pass-through. And in the nights that there's a full moon, they actually have night paddles.
Right now, I'm on Seattle's Lake Union, where you have amazing views of the Space Needle and just a short paddle away from here you can go and see some of the houseboats made famous by the movie "Sleepless In Seattle." Really, you get views of Seattle from the water you just can't get any other way.
So whether you live here or you're visiting Seattle, don't miss out on the experience of going out on a kayak.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: All right, fun stuff. Now to the not so fun stuff.
The debt ceiling debate has lawmakers on edge, regular people as well, including small business owners, one man's story right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. If there's one thing that we've all learned these past few weeks, the debt ceiling drama impacts all of us. Many small business owners say an impasse could sink them.
CNN National Correspondent Susan Candiotti talked with one owner who is very worried about his fiscal future.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERT ROSS, PRESIDENT, CAMATRON SEWING MACHINES: These are pieces of bullet-proof vests.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Robert Ross runs the family business started by his father back in 1970. The company has had its ups and downs over the year, but Ross says the current situation in Washington has him more worried than ever before.
ROSS: I'm up all night watching this. In fact, my wife is complaining that I'm staying up all night long and I should at least come to bed at one point.
CANDIOTTI: His business, Camatron Sewing Machines, like most small businesses runs on credit. That credit could become a lot more expensive if the federal government defaults on its own debt. Plus, Camatron relies on federal contracts.
ROSS: Most of the sewing machines that we make are for defense contractors that make the uniforms, the bullet-proof vests, these straps that carry the cargo around, the hydration units, anything that they would use in the military.
CANDIOTTI: With business improving, Ross recently hired a fourth employee, and there are many others who rely on his company. Some of his machines are specially automated to allow the blind and handicapped to operate them. For the sake of all his employees and suppliers, Ross hopes Democrats and Republicans can sew up a deal.
ROSS: All this goes away if I close up. What is everybody going to do? I - so I have to keep going. And if it means taking money out of my pocket to do it, I'll do it. But there's only so much I'm going to have.
CANDIOTTI: Ross says when times are tough, he's had to make difficult decisions. He thinks politicians should be ready to make hard decisions, too.
ROSS: Right now, it could be a major catastrophe because we've had some hard times at the banks the last few years and cash flow has been very, you know, been tough, so having another blow would really hurt.
CANDIOTTI: Who would Ross blame? Everyone.
ROSS: I'm tired of all these games. It just doesn't make any sense.
CANDIOTTI (on camera): Ross's business is only one example of how the debt ceiling debate could affect the average person. But the situation could have much wide effects. Hampering an economy that's already had a bumpy road to recovery.
Susan Candiotti, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And the summer swelter is about to hit its peak, what you need to know to be safe in this intense heat.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. We have been feeling it for weeks now, it is really hot outside. The extreme heat means we should also drink a lot of water and put on sunscreen.
But as summer temperatures reached their peak in August, some of those basic safety measures may not be enough. That's the subject of our weekly look at how to get healthy and stay healthy.
Dr. Bill Lloyd, our Healthy Living expert, joining us from Sacramento, California. Good. You've got your nice topper on there. You've got some new and maybe sometimes little known facts about the heat and what we need to do. So, you know, aside from a case of a bad sunburn, how do high temperatures really stress out our bodies?
DR. BILL LLOYD, HEALTHY LIVING EXPERT: Well, Fredricka, here in Northern California, like the rest of the country, it's going to get close to 100 degrees today. And that means the body is going to have to work extra hard to keep that temperature where it wants to be at 98.6 to make more picture perspiration to keep you cool. That means you have to have that good balance between a strong heart and (INAUDIBLE) around and taking plenty of fluids to provide the perspiration you're going to need. It's a lot of work to keep your body cool.
WHITFIELD: And, of course, it makes a lot of sense to keep small kids and, you know, older folks indoors, but who else needs to take extra precautions when it is so, so hot?
LLOYD: The answer is simple, anyone who can't handle a lot of hard work. So people who are overweight need to take extra precautions in the high temperatures, people with breathing problems. If your heart is racing, then you're also going to have trouble breathing. So if you're asthmatic, it's only going to make the situation worse.
Anybody who's on prescription meds needs to check with their doctor, are there special precautions with these pills that I'm taking in this hot weather? And anyone who's had a previous heat injury, Fredricka, previous heat stroke or heat stress needs to be extra careful because they are the most vulnerable of having a second attack.
WHITFIELD: All right. Dr. Bill Lloyd, thanks so much. We're starting to lose you on that audio, so we're going to end it there. Appreciate it, of course. Yes, a little reminder there, keep that water going, stay hydrated. Thanks so much. OK. Open marriage, well, it's how comedienne Margaret Cho sort of describes her commitment to her husband and to others.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARGARET CHO, ACTRESS/COMEDIENNE: I think there's intimacy that is possible with everybody in the world, a type of it, you know -
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: All right. She doesn't hold back, "Face to Face" with Margaret Cho next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. You know Margaret Cho for her standup comedy, her role on "Drop Dead Diva" and her activism. She's quirky, fun and extremely honest. In my exclusive "Face to Face" interview, Cho explains her personal life.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: For a very long time, you've an advocate of gay rights, of women's rights and you just mentioned, you know, as being a member of the gay community, however at the same time, you are married to a heterosexual man?
CHO: Yes, but I'm bisexual, so that I have different aspects of my life that seem contradictory but they're not because that's who I am.
WHITFIELD: You kind of a made a funny of that, in that - you know, in the past on your tour, I'm the one that I want, saying that you're heterophobic, actually.
CHO: I was the ship comedienne on the lesbian Love Boat.
Yes. I'm kind of heterophobic. I'm kind of like scared of straight (ph). You know, I have a lot of straight friends. So it's just - it's just a funny juxtaposition because in my world, you know, everything is gay. Everything is queer and so to move outside of that is sort of a strange experience.
WHITFIELD: How do you help people kind of understand, then, the dynamic of, you know, you being bisexual, living with a man who's heterosexual, and how you make plans going forward?
CHO: Well, it's - I don't know - No, he's - he's the best.
WHITFIELD: Is it like an open marriage? Like you -
CHO: Well, yes and -
WHITFIELD: -- see other people?
CHO: Yes, yes, yes.
WHITFIELD: Does he?
CHO: Yes, yes. But we don't really live together either, so. It's really -
WHITFIELD: So now I'm confused. So, I mean, it's not a - I guess committed relationship. I guess people think marriage -
CHO: It is committed. I mean, we're married -
WHITFIELD: OK.
CHO: -- and we're married forever and that's something that I'm so grateful for and so happy for, but I also know that I cannot be monogamous. I'm just slutty. And I understand that about myself and I'm fine with it and he's fine with it, you know? And that has no effect on my commitment to him.
I think sexual monogamy is really a lie that people say that they're going to do it and they only do it for like five years or six years or seven years. Most marriages last for about that long and I've been with my husband for 11 years. We've been married for eight. You know, I feel like my way works for me.
But, you know, other people don't necessarily understand or want to get their minds around it. Like, well, they're like aren't you jealous? And I'm like, no. I mean, I don't know. Like I just I'm not, and he's not of me, so -
WHITFIELD: You kind of know how you can trust one another?
CHO: Yes.
WHITFIELD: It has nothing to do with relationship or commitment to one another.
CHO: Right.
WHITFIELD: Because it's OK to have a commitment with others, too?
CHO: Yes.
WHITFIELD: But there are other areas that you have crossed.
CHO: The other kinds of commitments, yes. Other kinds of commitments. It's just sort of like you could have other different kinds of friends, you know, that there's different kinds of relationships that you can have, I mean, I think, you know? I think there's intimacy that isn't possible with everybody in the world, a type of it, you know?
But for - for me and him, it's very - it's very deep and very eternal, so it sort of doesn't matter that this sort of smaller relationship you have in between.
WHITFIELD: So can I ask you more about this?
CHO: Yes.
WHITFIELD: So say, for instance, you know, you all are in the same city. One of you has decided to make a date with somebody else, do you talk about that first? I'm not going to able to go to the show with you on that one because I'm now going to hang out with somebody --
CHO: Yes, of course.
WHITFIELD: Yes?
CHO: Of course. Of course, you know, if you make a plan, you tell your friend or whatever, you know? Like then, you know, to me, it's sort of - I don't know, it's a very easy thing.
WHITFIELD: It's very normal - it's a very normal thing?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: All right. I'll continue my exclusive conversation with Margaret Cho tomorrow here in the NEWSROOM. She talks about pushing the limits of her comedy routine and how comedians in general push the limits. She'll talk about her keys to success and her latest project.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: The songs are like really melodic pop. It's very Beatles-que so it's called the Yellow album.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Margaret Cho and her parents actually lent their voices to this new album/CD. "Face to Face" with Margaret Cho tomorrow afternoon right here on CNN 2:00 Eastern Time it all begins again.
All right. It is the movie millions of people around the world have been waiting for, partly to see who exactly made the cut. "Life in a Day" opens this weekend, bringing together unique YouTube videos to show one day on earth.
Who better to tell us about this than our own Josh Levs, who has been covering this project from the very beginning. You got a tip to it a year ago when -
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes.
WHITFIELD: -- when it's, you know, first just a kernel of an idea.
LEVS: And I got to see the whole thing. Got to take a glimpse of it in advance.
WHITFIELD: And you like?
LEVS: It's - I've got to tell you, it's the most amazing time capsule in the history of humanity, you know? And from that perspective, it's pretty astounding. WHITFIELD: Yes.
LEVS: Here, take a look at the trailer.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I really love my family.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my God!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I love football.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you then promise to love and treasure each other?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We do.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We do.
LEVS (voice-over): I'll tell you a little more about it while we watch this.
What happened, so if you don't know is that all over the world, people shot video of their lives on the same day. It was a year ago. It was July 24, 2010. It was open to absolutely everyone. And part of what I love about it is that the people behind this project made cameras available to people in areas where that technology is not readily available. They've then got all these submissions, look at them and streamed ultimately a movie.
Look at this next thing here. Check out how many people sent in videos wanting to be a part of this.
WHITFIELD (voice-over): Oh, my goodness.
LEVS: Eighty-one thousand submissions -
WHITFIELD: Wow.
LEVS: -- totaling 4,500 hours of video. So, Fred, they spent months going through all this. And check out the final result. I've got a number for you here. They tell me the final film includes parts of 350 submissions.
There's Hollywood power players behind this. It was produced by Ridley Scott. Directed by Kevin McDonald.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEVS: It was largely his - his brain child and it's not just a movie.
Fred, Let me show you this interactive behind me here at the website. There's this system that they've set up here where you can click on videos that were sent in from all over the world on that day. Or you can even click on Geo which gives you a map of the world and you can see what people were up to. Just pick any spot on earth and say, what were some people up to that day. Boom. It links it to a video. So it really is in that sense, Fred, a very powerful time capsule.
WHITFIELD: That is incredible.
LEVS: Yes, it's amazing.
WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness. So what has the reaction been out there? People who have seen it? What do the reviewers seem to think?
LEVS: You know what, reviewers have been really positive overall. Actually, our own review called it a rousing success. And then "Washington Post" called it a profound achievement. "Hollywood Reporter" said one for the ages.
There were some negative ones. A "New York Times" reviewer did not like it. He said it's hard to sit through.
I will tell you now, there's a couple of shots in there that will be disturbing for some people, but those are very rare, very few between.
Here's what I've done. So on my screen, in my pages, I have links for you information on the movie and the reviews and our article about it. I'm at JoshLevs@CNN on Facebook and Twitter. You'll find all of that. And let us know, too. I would love to know what our viewers think about this.
WHITFIELD: Yes, of course. All right. Thanks so much for bringing that to us.
LEVS: You've got it. Thanks.
WHITFIELD: All right. And we'll be right back with more of the NEWSROOM after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. Much more of the NEWSROOM coming up with Don Lemon. Hey, Don.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: You look very nice.
WHITFIELD: Thank you. And so are you.
LEMON: Emerald. Let me figure out, it's emerald?
WHITFIELD: I'm - I'll go with emerald. Yes. And he's asking me what color this is, it's emerald besides green.
LEMON: Yes. It looks great, as usual.
You know what?
WHITFIELD: What?
LEMON: We've had - how long have we been having this debt debate conversation?
WHITFIELD: I think everyone's pretty exhausted.
LEMON: Everyone is exhausted. We're going to be following up on that. But I'm going to tell you, I'm going to be talking to Rand Paul. I think it's important to talk to Rand Paul because of what people are saying about the Tea Party that they're possibly the ones that are holding us up.
The freshman senator says he's looking for more than just a short-term plan and he cares more about the country than a deal. And I'm going to ask him about his own balanced budget amendment. He went to the Floor just a moment ago and I'll tell you what happened.
Also, Urban League President Marc Morial in the middle of the showdown over raising the debt ceiling. A sobering new picture has emerged of wealth in America and it's not pretty. The economic gap between whites and minorities has grown even larger. And we're going to talk to him about what they're doing. The National Convention is going on now in Boston.
And, Fred, I don't know what, does "Comedy Central" have it in for me? I'm being a little bit facetious. And I think Stephen Colbert is mad at me. Did you know he - he interrupted one of my broadcasts?
WHITFIELD: No, I did not.
LEMON: Check this one out.
WHITFIELD: OK.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON (on camera): All right. Sanjay, thank you so much. Make sure you stay safe out there.
We're going to have much more on the flooding coming up on CNN -
STEPHEN COLBERT, HOST, "THE COLBERT REPORT": Excuse me. Excuse me.
LEMON: Stephen Colbert, what the - what are you doing here?
COLBERT: Don, I have a question to ask you.
LEMON: Stephen, I am in the middle of a broadcast.
COLBERT: Yes, who isn't? Hold on Sanjay. Don, did you or did you not interview a man who was foreclosed on a bank?
LEMON: The guy in (INAUDIBLE), yes, I did.
COLBERT: OK. Did you not notice that he was a vampire?
LEMON: You get out of here.
COLBERT: Oh, I wouldn't get out of here, Don Lemon. (END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: He was really mad at me. He called me up personally.
WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness.
LEMON: He called me up one day and someone said, someone from the Stephen Colbert Show is going to call you around 4:00 or 3:00. And it was like 4:00 or 5:00, and I said - and I answered the phone, I said you people at "The Colbert Report" have a very strange sense of time and I thought it was a producer. And I said, Jeff, he's a producer and he goes, this is Stephen. And I went, sorry, hey, Stephen. How are you?
WHITFIELD: But that was - that was cute.
LEMON: But he's really mad at me.
WHITFIELD: I didn't get the impression that that was mad.
LEMON: Well - and then Jon Stewart, who had a few choice words to say about me as well. We're going to discuss that a little bit later on.
WHITFIELD: That makes it clear he did not know you. He's just so lovable.
LEMON: All right.
WHITFIELD: They had a good sense of humor.
LEMON: Yes.
WHITFIELD: At least it appears. And you did, too.
All right. More of Don Lemon uninterrupted in just a few minutes from now, more of the NEWSROOM.
LEMON: See you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
