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U.S Hikers Sentenced in Iran; Kardashian Wedding in California; Choosing Alternative Medicine; The Martin Luther King Junior Memorial Dedication Ceremony; Air and Water Show in Chicago was Delayed

Aired August 20, 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 two American hikers are now facing eight years in prison in Iran. Iranian state run television says Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer were sentenced today. The two have been locked up in Iran since they were seized near the Iraqi- Kurdish border two years ago. A third hiker Sara Shourd was released in September for medical reasons.

And dramatic new security cam video of what happens on the streets of England and what happened rather during the riots in the UK. British police say the footage showed masked, hooded troublemakers firing at unarmed officers. Police believed the group intended to set fire to a local pub in Birmingham. At least 11 shots were fired at police.

And here in the U.S., the so-called West Memphis Three are enjoying their first full day of freedom after 18 years behind bars. The trio were released from prison yesterday after cutting a complicated deal with Arkansas prosecutors. The men were convicted for the brutal killings of three cub scouts in 1992, a crime they have long maintained their never committed.

An Indiana community is saying goodbye to a hero. Funeral services are being held today for 49-year-old Glen Goodrich, one of the six victims who died in last weeks' stage collapse at the Indiana state fire. Goodrich's mother said her son saved the lives of a woman and a child who were near the stage when it fell. Goodrich leaves behind a wife and two sons.

A thunderstorm hit the Chicago area this morning prompting the city to delay its air and water show. About two million spectators were expected to attend, the big draw, the thunderbirds. Just after the show started, the crowd was told to seek cover. Once the storm passed, the show resumed.

All right. Back to that major story out of Iran. The fate of American hikers Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal. Iran's state run television said the pair had been sentenced to eight years in prison. A journalist, Shirzad Bozorghmer, joins us now on the phone from Tehran. All right. So give us an idea, what information, is there any real confirmation that they have indeed been sentenced?

SHIRZAD BOZORGMEHR, JOURNALIST (ON THE PHONE): Well, domestic news regency, Reuters and AP have reported that an informed source from the judiciary has told them that Joshua Fattal and Shane Bauer have been convicted of spying and they've been given five years for spying and three years each for entering Iran illegally, which makes it a total of eight years, two years of which they have already spent in prison so they have six more years to go.

However, the lawyer, the attorney for these two gentlemen, I talked to him about two or three hours before and he had not been informed of the court's decision, sentence as of yet. So the news may have been reported, but it has not become official because the lawyer has not been informed yet. And he was still hoping that this was a mistake and that it was a misquote, by the judicial official and that the sentence has not been passed yet. But we have to wait until tomorrow to see if this is confirmed or not.

WHITFIELD: And Shirzad if indeed it is the case that they were sentenced to eight years, given the history of others, including a journalist a few years ago who were sentenced to a rather lengthy time to be served and was released just shortly thereafter, is there a strong possibility that this is really a message being sent to the western community and that perhaps they may not have to serve all eight years?

BOZORGHMER: Well, as you said, the lady you're referring to is Roxana Farbari who's a freelance journalist (INAUDIBLE) who mediated after her parents pleased with them and he secured her release. Now being the month of Ramadan here (INAUDIBLE) this may happen again. But it depends on the president or the supreme leader to check in and secure the release of the two Americans. Other than that, if the sentence is eight years, the only thing they can do is to appeal it in the court of appeals within the next 20 days and then wait for that procedure to be completed.

WHITFIELD: All right. Shirzad, thanks so much for your reporting, I appreciate that.

All right. We are closely watching developments in Libya as well, where rebels west of Tripoli made a very strong claim today, that they managed to push Moammar Gadhafi's troops out of the last key city before reaching the capital, that as the latest NATO air strikes are still echoing in Tripoli.

Matthew Chance is now joining us from Tripoli. It is now after 10:00 there in Tripoli, so we're hearing the U.S. officials say Moammar Gadhafi may be planning his last stand and other rebels are saying it could be any day now, what are you learning?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we just have to wait and see, certainly we haven't seen any sign as yet of a rebel advance into Tripoli itself. We have been witnessing of course those very ferocious and low running battles that have been taking place, in places like (INAUDIBLE) to the west of Tripoli, about 30 miles or so to the west, which are very important because of the control that they have over the strategic supply routes in and out of the Libyan capital. But what we haven't seen is any fighting even on the outskirts of Tripoli, and clearly if that's were to happen that would be a very different proposition. Because Libya is something of a stronghold of support for Colonel Gadhafi. It's believed that the leader has kept many of his best trained, best equipped trained brigades, militaries in the Libyan capital in case they need to step up to defend it.

He's also called on all of his supporters in Tripoli to arm themselves and to be ready for any kind of rebel advance. So if there is a push on Tripoli, then at the expectation is that it will be very bloody indeed, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And Matthew, what is this about conflicting reports that Moammar Gadhafi, people close to him are making arrangements so that he could flee to Tunisia?

CHANCE: Well, there are rumors. Rumors that the Gadhafi regime had put out feelers to other Arab countries to Egypt, to Algeria, to neighboring Tunisia, to Nigeria as well, to see what those countries would be willing to provide safe haven for Colonel Gadhafi's family and even for Colonel Gadhafi himself. The rebels, (INAUDIBLE) but the claim has been rejected categorically by the officials that we were able to hear in the Libyan capital. They say that Colonel Gadhafi and the leaders has said this a number of times in his public statements over recent days that he intends to stay in Tripoli and if necessary to lead the fight to defend the city himself.

And so at least publicly, the position is that he's going to stay, but who knows what's taking place in terms of negotiations behind closed doors.

WHITFIELD: Clearly a lot of uncertainty. Thank you so much, Matthew Chance, in Tripoli.

So let's move now about 30 miles west along the coast to the city of Zawiyah (ph). That's where CNN's Sara Sidner is with anti-Gadhafi rebel forces. Sara, tell us about this firefight that you and the crew were quite witness to, quite frankly right in the middle of today.

SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it was pretty scary. That was though now more than 10 hours ago, and what I can tell you is that city has now been taken by the rebels. We went all the way into the city center today. That's where the massive amount of fighting was happening. Yesterday, when we got caught in the firefight, we got back safely obviously. But what we saw today was a city destroyed, at least in the center of town and towards the east, where Gadhafi forces were pounding the town with artillery fired and with what's known as grad missiles. These are huge missiles that are like seven feet long and they can do massive damage to buildings and that is what we saw in the city center.

However we were told by rebels that they had the help of NATO. That a couple of days ago they were all told to evacuate the city center, to move out any residents that were in the area. We do know that the Gadhafi forces had snipers on some of these buildings and eventually NATO came in within the past 24 hours and they actually bombed some of the city center. You can see that some of the buildings have fallen in. But a big mess in the middle of the city though the rebels are celebrating. You can hear celebratory gun fire. We've been listening to it all night. The rebels are celebrating because they have taken this very strategic town, Fredricka. WHITFIELD: So, Sara, you know, are these rebel forces prepared to take on loyalists to Gadhafi if indeed they advance toward Tripoli?

SIDNER: It's interesting to note when we asked them these kind of questions, they say, "Well, god willing, we're going to be able to do this." But they're very confident they're going to be able to move up to the city. The question is what will happen when they get or if they get to Tripoli. They believe they will be getting to Tripoli in the next few days, not the next few weeks. They are very, very excited about that and adamant that they'll be able to make it to Tripoli. But as you heard Matthew Chance there in Tripoli, everyone believes that there will be a massive firefight there unless something drastically change, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Sara Sidner in Zawiyah (ph), Libya. Thanks so much.

And back here in the states, in case you haven't heard there's a big wedding going on on the west coast today. Reality TV star Kim Kardashian tying the knot. Will take you live to California in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Big day if your name is Kim Kardashian and NBA star Kris Humphries. They are tying the knot just outside Santa Barbara, California, the wedding is being filmed by the way for the "Keeping up the Kardashians" reality show. Our Kareen Wynter is in Montecito, California where some of the guests are staying as well. So where are we on this big day?

KAREEN WYNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, there, Fred, well you said it, a big day indeed for one of reality TV's most powerful families, of course, the Kardashians. You know, last year, they reeled in 65 million bucks. So that tells you just how powerful they are. So we followed their move very, very closely. That's what brings us to Montecito, California where as you mentioned, that wedding will take place later today, not where we are right now.

I'll get to the backdrop in just a second. But it's actually taking place on a private estate, a lavish 11-acre $29 million estate, a few miles from where we are. But right now, this is the backdrop because this is where a lot of the guests, some members of the Kardashian family are reportedly staying the Four Seasons Hotel here in Montecito. You can see the locals, riding by their bikes, quite a few spectators out here as well as paparazzi, as you can imagine, Fred, just taking in all the action.

This community by the way, extremely affluent. It's home to not just Oprah, but also Michael Douglas, Kevin Costner. So they're used to the big wigs being here, but not this type of attention so they're all really excited. Now as for the wedding, a lot of the details have been kept under wraps. We do know the bride, Kim, will be wearing Vera Wang. She's going to be marrying her NBA beau, NBA player Kris Humphries. Kim also spoke out yesterday to Ryan Seacrest, who of course produces their reality show on E!, "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" and while she didn't reveal a lot of juicy details, she did say that her dress is going to blow everyone away. Of course, Vera Wang designing it and that she changed her mind several times, so we can't wait to see what that will look like.

"People" reportedly has exclusive rights to that. They paid reportedly more than a million bucks. So maybe we're seeing that extravagant gown sometime later on this week. Kim also revealed that her stepfather, Bruce Jenner, will be walking her down the aisle and as probably many brides out there, go through this time of year or whenever they get married, a lot of anxiety, but she says she has remained surprisingly calm but a few things (INAUDIBLE) to bother her (INAUDIBLE). Her fiance, he's leaving his clothes all over the place, and his dog's are annoying her. So she's going through all the typical bride anxiety but again we're standing by, waiting for whenever that wedding begins later today.

WHITFIELD: In the meantime, didn't you catch up with one of the family members who was willing to go on camera?

WYNTER: I sure did. A frenzy of activity yesterday, in fact, right the middle of Montecito, little community, mom, Kris Jenner, and her daughter, Kourtney, went shopping. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WYNTER: How are you?

KRIS JENNER, KIM KARDASHIAN'S MOM: I'm good.

WYNTER: How is she feeling?

JENNER: She's good.

WYNTER: Are you nervous? You said a couple of weeks ago that you would be really nervous today. How do you feel?

JENNER: I feel good.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Oh, talkative.

WYNTER: So Chris says YOU KNOW, she feels great and she actually got a facelift for the affair.

WHITFIELD: Oh, gosh.

WYNTER: She did. No kidding. She wanted to be fabulous for the wedding.

WHITFIELD: Everything's so public.

WYNTER: I know. We know mom will be beautiful. She'll also be wearing Vera Wang. She told me that a few weeks ago. So I bet the whole family will be stunning in this star-studded affair. WHITFIELD: Wow. OK. Well, considering they're so public with the details leading up to it, they're not so public once it gets down to the event actually happening but that's in large part as you mentioned, because they're going to do a wedding special on the whole thing. So they want you to tune in later?

WYNTER: They sure do. It's going to be quite a money maker. You know, when Kim's sister, Khloe, got married a few years ago, it brought in huge ratings for E!. And so they really look to capitalize on those weddings. Of course the Kardashians will make a big cut. So there's a lot at stake here. But again a two part special, actually a four-part special. One airs in October. So two hours of that and the following day, so there's a whole production behind this. So I can't wait to see how it all unfolds. Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Kareen Wynter, thanks so much, in Montecito, California.

OK. We're going to talk about movies coming up. What the new releases are, are they worth seeing? Which films should better be left alone?

Plus this, "Money" magazine is out with its list of the best places to live. And this year it's focusing on towns with less than 50,000 people, we're talking about one of the communities right after our break. Here's a hit.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST (voice-over): This town has something in common with the home of the Kentucky derby. It has more than 300 days of sunshine. What place has plenty of space to horse around in? We'll let you know after the break.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Thrills and chills at the movies this is weekend as "Conan the Barbarian" and "Fright Night" have hit the big screen along with to run it all out, a romantic comedy "One Day." But are they worth your box office bucks?

Here to tell us all about it, movie critic Matt Atchity with rottentomatoes.com. He's joining us live from Los Angeles. OK, Matt, let's begin with "Conan the Barbarian," we're not talking about Arnold Schwarzenegger making a come back in this one.

MATT ATCHITY, MOVIE CRITIC, ROTTENTOMATOES.COM: No.

WHITFIELD: Instead of a new face in Conan, Jason Mamoa, does much need to be said about setting up - it didn't matter what "Conan the Barbarian" is really about right?

ATCHITY: Well, in this case it kind of does, actually.

WHITFIELD: Well, it does. OK. Well then you set up before we see the clip.

ATCHITY: Well, we're going to see an introduction to Conan. He kind of comes back. We see. It's a reboot really. It's a little bit of the story that we had seen in the first "Conan the Barbarian" back with Arnold Schwarzenegger.

WHITFIELD: OK. Let's take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: OK. She yelled Conan and everybody else says Conan. Which is? I'm getting confused here.

ATCHITY: I think it depends on where you're from and whether or not you're trying to make sure you're not talking about the talk show host.

WHITFIELD: Right, exactly. OK. So you know, I was really being facetious. It matters what it's all about, but it really is just a whole lot of slash and all that kind of good stuff and it's very appealing to a lot of the guys.

ATCHITY: Well, sort of. What you mainly get here is a lot of fight scenes, that's the best thing going on in this movie. But the story is really lacking. Unfortunately, you never really care who Conan is or why he's doing what he's doing. You do get a story about a boy who, when he's a young boy, his village gets wiped out and so he's on a quest for revenge, but really, you don't really get behind him as a character. And this movie was really disappointing, I have to say.

WHITFIELD: Oh, no.

ATCHITY: It also suffers from the lack of chemistry, the lack of charisma that Arnold has. Say what you will about Arnold these days, but he has got a lot of on screen and that's hard to replace. Jason Mamoa had some big shoes to fill here.

WHITFIELD: Oh, boy.

ATCHITY: And it doesn't - I don't think he quick steps up.

WHITFIELD: That is always tough. OK. So your grade?

ATCHITY: So my grade is a D. It's not the worst movie I've ever seen but it's relatively forgettable.

WHITFIELD: Oh my gosh. OK. "Fright Night," this is for those who just love the thrill of something scary. "Fright Night" taking on the 1985 horror flick. It stars Collin Farrell as a vampire who moves to suburbia and then terrorizes the teen next door. Let's watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Heck no. You're not going to see me at this one. But anyway, what did you think? And then your grade. ATCHITY: I like this movie, for a movie that - for an unnecessary remake, it's pretty good. Collin Farrell is really great in this. And the secret star is David Tennant, I think who's basically playing a Chris Angel type character. You might remember him from "Doctor Who" for a few years. And I really enjoyed this movie. I'm giving it a B. I thought it was a really solid movie. It's not particularly scary. So it loses a little bit there.

WHITFIELD: Oh maybe I will see it.

ATCHITY: Right. It's not a very scary more horror movie.

WHITFIELD: OK. So you're giving it an A?

ATCHITY: I give it a B. A solid B.

WHITFIELD: OK. All right. Let's talk about "One Day," it's out in the theaters, you know, some say have said it's a little reminiscent of "When Harry Met Sally." You didn't necessarily see it, starring Anne Hathaway but at rottentomatoes.com, the critics are weighing in. What's being said?

ATCHITY: Yes, the critics are weighing in. I haven't had a chance to see this, but the critics on our site. We have had reviews for about 88 critics for this particular film. And only about 26 percent of them say that it's any good. That's pretty rotten in our estimation. So we give it a rotten score.

WHITFIELD: Oh, no. OK. Well, Matt, I guess there's one in this trio here that me way see, just because of your recommendation or at least kind of your high grade.

ATCHITY: I would definitely recommend seeing "Fright Night." It's not that scary. Trust me.

WHITFIELD: OK. Then maybe I'll see it after all. Thanks so much. Matt Atchity, it's always good to see you. Thank you.

ATCHITY: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Stick around for the latest viral video that includes a dog and a volleyball. That's right. This show is going to the dogs.

But first, CNN's anchors and producers cover stories all around the world. And that means we also get great tips on some of the best restaurants, hotels, travel spots. So in this week's travel insider. Producer (INAUDIBLE) and photojournalist Jim Gilson (ph) take in a free concert in Michigan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On behalf of the (INAUDIBLE) Rotary Club, I would like to thank you for coming down tonight. Tonight we have the Sunshine String Band all the way from Midland County. ED "CROSSCUT" LARSON, MUSICIAN: I brought a little regal mandolin when I came home from Korea. And buddy sat on it while we were out drinking and playing so I saved the neck and then I rebuilt it. Well, that was back 45 years ago. I had the body and then I rebuilt it and rebuilt it. But I have had as much fun playing this as I have ever had. I've been playing mandolin since I was about 12 and I'm 83. So I played mandolin, (INAUDIBLE) harmonica, accordion, whatever's left over, I tried to play.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) This is a very dangerous instrument. It's got all three legs on it.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Checking our top stories, two American hikers locked up in Iran on spying charges, according to Iranian state run media, they have each been sentenced to eight years in prison. Iran says the men crossed the border in - from Iraq illegally. The U.S. state department is trying to confirm media reports about the sentence a third American who was arrested was released last year.

Uncertainty is swirling this weekend about the near future plans for Muammar Gaddafi. A government spokesman says the long time Libyan leader is not going anywhere despite rebel claims that Gaddafi is asking the governments of several other countries for refuge. U.S. officials say Gaddafi may be preparing for a last stand in Tripoli.

Alright, back in the U.S., a thunderstorm hit the Chicago area this morning prompting the city to delay its air and water show. About 2 million spectators were expected to attend. The big draw the thunderbirds. Just after the show started, the crowd was told the seek cover and once the storm passed the show resumed.

All right, one more time on this viral videos. We're going to showcase some pooches; this one is very athletic and very fun and you got to check this one out Jacqui.

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: No. It's like the dog days of summer, right? We got lots of dog videos for you. But we've all seen the dog play catch with the ball, you know, we saw the skate boarding dog the other week. But check out Petey.

WHITFIELD: This one plays volleyball.

JERAS: Look at that.

WHITFIELD: And I love the way he barks, Petey barks just to punctuate that score.

JERAS: I can't even do that in the pool with my family.

WHITFIELD: I know. That is impressive. A 32 volleys taking place here. They counted.

JERAS: I love how they're putting the little text up there so we know how far they have gone there.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my God, the distant. And you know what? Petey is quite the athlete.

JERAS: Multi-talented.

WHITFIELD: That's right. Not just volleyball, he can skate board as well.

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: And apparently, laser light. Have you ever done that with your dog, with a laser?

JERAS: She's a lab, she's mellow and cool.

WHITFIELD: No, not lifting a paw. But you know it's something I really like about Petey?

JERAS: What?

WHITFIELD: Petey likes the movies. Guess what the favorite movies might be?

JERAS: I got to be like dog, what?

WHITFIELD: (Marmaduke) and Bolt among the faves. Very cute, 250,000 hit on YouTube. Yes. Always love that.

All right now, let's talk about other matters that are very important out there, extreme temperatures, whether it's really hot or you got way too much water. What's going on?

JERAS: Yes. We have got a lot of big weather stories, I want to start out actually with the tropics if that's alright because we have been talking a little bit about Harvey, this is a tropical storm which has made landfall now over Belize. But it is a concern even though it's going to be weakening because it's bringing very heavy rainfall and it's going to be moving inland so expect to see anywhere between three and six inches widespread and flooding as well as mudslides can be expected across parts of Central America and in the Mexico.

Now, the U.S., we need to pay attention because things are getting really busy.

Two areas of concerns, first one has a 90 percent chance of developing into as seen in put system, a hurricane. Hundreds are flying into this thing right now. And the computer models, well, not looking real great right now. We're talking about the potential, potential for the U.S., at least the southeast U.S. to pay close attention to this late next week. There's a very big consensus here with the models, you can see how they're all kind of packed tightly together. So make sure you've got those hurricane plans in place. Other weather showers and thunderstorms, some of which has been severe moving across parts of Michigan right now, they are just west of Detroit and there are warnings on these storms west of Detroit. So be aware if you have outdoor plans, go ahead and maybe change them here. Flight plans, also possibly changing for you, Chicago O'Hare, you mentioned the air show, Fred, well they have ground delays, an hour and a half, takes a while to catch up from that and Baltimore, 30- minute delays at this time. And that's for people who are leaving Baltimore. I'll go into other places that are not stormy.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Not far from Baltimore, the nation's capital and a lot of folks are going to be descending on the nation's capital because the landscape there is about to change. The Martin Luther King Junior Memorial will have its dedication ceremony actually next week but we can already take you on a virtual tour of the site right now.

Josh Levs is going to take us on a journey.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's pretty amazing you know the ceremony itself will be a week from tomorrow. It will be next weekend on Sunday. But there are all sorts of events already going on. Take a look at these pictures, and these are renderings of what the site is going to look like. And I'm going to take you know, I'm going to jump you inside this virtual tour.

LEVS (voice-over): I'm going to show you a little bit and tell you some basics. This is a four-acre site, organizers say is designed to invoke the memory and spiritual presence of Doctor King. It has bunched of separate in the way its designs that include some of his most famous quotes and excerpts of his sermons. And this right here in my screen, is the centerpiece. This is the sculpture of Doctor King himself. Thirty feet made of granite stone.

When I click on it right here, you're able to see the inscription on the side, "out of the mountain of despair, a stone of home", that is something that Doctor King said in his famous "I have a dream" speech. And take a look at this. It is designed to be a stone of hope emerging from this, a mountain of despair. So it's got that imagery going for it. And it's very, very close, just steps away really from the Lincoln Memorial, from which he gave that "I have a dream" speech.

There are lots of helpful interactive things to show you, including the virtual tour. And (Perry McCarry), you can control yourself that I have put online for you. So, let's show everybody my page and you're going to be able to see right now where I have shown you everything you got here. Face book and twitter, joshlevsCNN. And we have also got it in the blog, CNN.com/josh.

And Fred, we are having a conversation about this as well. We're asking people, what this memorial means to you and what you think it means for the country.

WHITFIELD: Yes. And you said it's near the Lincoln memorial. Where is it in relation to the whole reflecting pool? LEVS: It's actually - it's interesting, it's just on the other side of the tidal basin and if you're looking out over the reflective pool basically from the Lincoln Memorial, you'll see it over on your right. And there it is right there you're closing in on it from the other side. That will be updated once the memorial is actually added to Google earth.

WHITFIELD: Beautiful. Well, there isn't a bad piece of real state in the nation's capital particularly around that area. Alright, Thanks you so much, Josh. Appreciate that virtual perspective.

All right, do you ever wonder if the treatment your doctor is giving you is the one they would actually follow themselves? We will find out what some medical professionals are doing to stay healthy when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Alright, when it comes to your doctor and nurses taking care of themselves, many health care providers are more likely to actually use complement try and alternative medicines such as acupuncture and massage than the general population.

So, take a look at the result from a study of over 14,000 health care workers, 76 percent of those workers say they use alternative medicine, as opposed to 63 percent of the general public. That's the subject of our weekly look at how to get and stay healthy.

Why does that disparity exist? Healthy living expert Bill Lloyd joins us from Boston. So Doctor Bill, tell us the big differences between traditional health care and these kinds of complementary alternative treatments.

DOCTOR BILL LLOYD, HEALTHY LIVING EXPERT: Well Fredricka, in traditional medicine, nurses and doctors find problems and then fix them. Your blood pressure is too high, here take a pill but in complementary and alternative medicine they what to be more holistic and get to the root cause.

Here's a list of some important differences involving complementary medicines, they use natural products instead of medications. Things like fish oil or probiotics. They like to practice mind-body medicine. Things like meditation, yoga and acupuncture. They also like body based practices, things like spinal manipulation and massage and something else called movement therapies, that many of you may heard about activities like palates which won't directly lower you blood pressure but it will increase your flexibility your strength, you overall health which might in fact overtime, lower that blood pressure.

WHITFIELD: OK so then why would some of these same doctors be recommending what people would know as traditional medicine, why are they recommending that as opposed to the alternative kind of therapies?

LLYOD: Well, you know a couple of reasons. Nurses and doctors are insiders as far as the health care system so they know where the gaps in treatment are. They know American medicine isn't perfect, so like other patients, they're also looking for solutions as well.

But Fredericka, you know in this environment, many health care providers practice defensive medicine. So unless there's some solids evidence-based comparison between these types of therapy versus conventional therapy, then they may be reluctant to recommend it to their patients. But out in the parking lot, if you ask your doctor, they may tell you, I can't talk to you now, I've got to go my massage.

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: OK. Does it have to be an all or none proposition our some of the doctors kind a mixing it up?

LLYOD: Well, you know, that's the great thing about it. This blends perfectly. Take the field of pain medicine for example, where, yes, it's true, many people who suffer severe pain are on a variety of different medications, but many of them are also referred to these alternate practitioners to meditation, different types of exercise, acupuncture and other practices in addition to their medications to relieve their symptoms.

WHITFIELD: OK. So, how does one go about exploring alternative medicine? How do you begin?

LLYOD: OK. Sure. The first thing is go right back to your regular doctor like we talked about earlier. They might have some insights for you. If the doctor seems to be cool to the idea, look up a specialist, an M.D. who practices integrative medicine, these are doctors that combine, just like you said earlier, evidence-based alternative therapies with traditional therapies.

Make sure whoever you go to, you always verify their training and experience. These alternative practitioners have to have licenses, and you go on the internet and you can find out all about them. It's also important Fredricka to carefully monitor all the drugs, therapies and treatments and natural products that you're taking, because there could be collisions sometimes that could lead to adverse events.

So finally, always make sure you notify your regular doctor, everything that you're taking including her balls and other probiotics in addition to the medications you've already been prescribed.

WHITFIELD: Alright, Doctor Bill Lloyd helping us stay healthy, thanks so much, always good to see you, this time from Boston.

LLYOD: We'll talk again soon. Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, coming up, President Barack Obama is trying to get a little R&R this week, but not everyone is happy about that. We'll tell you what some Republicans are doing to mock him.

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WHITFIELD: Time now for CNN equals politics update. Republican Presidential Candidate John Huntsman is taking some of his opponents to task.

In an interview with CNN, Huntsman ripped his rivals to spoke of risking a default in the Asian Debt debate last month saying "they acted like lunatics", he said.

Meantime another member of Huntsman's campaign team resigned Friday. And Texas Governor Rick Perry is running for president on a message of smaller government. But when it comes to immigration, he says "Washington is not doing enough".

At a campaign stop Friday, Perry said it's a shame his state has had to spend so much on border security.

And President Barack Obama is trying to get a little R & R but not everyone's happy about that, about the choice of his location of rest.

Martha's Vineyard, the working location, the Republican national committee created a Web site for negotiation to send mocking postcards about President Obama's coastal getaway.

A White House spokesman says Mister Obama needs the time to quote "recharge his battery".

And for the latest political news exactly? Where to go? CNNpolitics.com.

Much more of the newsroom straight ahead, Don Lemon.

DON LEMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: One year we happened to be in Martha's Vineyard, a bunch of friends and the president was there. And we said we will never come back here when everything is blocked.

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WHITFIELD: I know. And it's always difficult place to get to.

LEMON: Yes. Yes.

WHITFIELD: But then when you've got you know national security there and secret service, a little bit trickier.

LEMON: It's tricky and it's cold. The water is cold but it is beautiful.

WHITFIELD: Anyway.

LEMON: We're going to go to Pakistan because that's where our reporters are reporting from. I forgot exactly what's going on with two Americans who are in trial in Iran. They have already spent two years in prison and will they spend eight more for hiking near the Iran border? That's we want to know, also this Fred.

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REP. MAXINE WATERS (D), CALIFORNIA: We don't put pressure on the president because we love the president. We love the president. Just a minute, we're very proud. We are very proud to have a black man. When you tell us it's all right and you unleash us, and you tell us you're ready for us to have this conversation, we're ready to have the conversation.

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LEMON: All right, well, you know she's talking the way people talk around their homes about having an African-American president. So, you can't criticize the president because he's black like people can't do it. That's part of what he's saying, I know that you've been interviewed her Fred. You have your turned, now it's it my turn because with each day the questions intensify over Congresswoman Maxine Waters and why she says she's ready to unleash on the president on the same day that she made her comments at White House released an executive order which promote, which promises to promote diversity in government and beyond, did it have anything to do with the congresswoman? I'm going to ask her.

WHITFIELD: OK. We will all look forward to seeing that.

LEMON: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Straight ahead. Don, thank you. Good to see you.

LEMON: thank you. Good to see you.

WHITFIELD: All right, straight ahead. What could this 12-year-old Atlanta girl do that police couldn't? You heard about this story, right? She actually solved the crime on her own. More on this pint- sized P.I. Coming up.

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WHITFIELD: A 12-year-old Atlanta girl is being called a real life Nancy Drew after cracking a burglary case the police couldn't. Jessica Maples had just finished a summer forensic class when someone broke into her great grandmother's home.

Police investigated but couldn't solve the crime so Jessica did her own investigating and not only did she track down the stolen items, but she also tracked down the alleged thief. So how did she do it? Find out tomorrow when Jessica joins me with her remarkable story, that's 2:00 Eastern Time right here on CNN.

Meantime let's check in one more time with Jacqui Jeras in the weather center. We're talking about some nasty storms in the Midwest?

JERAS: Yes. We have been tracking them across Michigan, Fredricka with a severe thunderstorm watch which is in effect and these storms are just west of the Detroit area right now, damaging winds will be the primary concern as these storms approach, you can see those orange boxes, that means those warnings are in effect west of there and we do think that they could hold together as they move toward Detroit, they probably won't hit there until about an hour from now. So, if you have any plans, a heading out to dinner or doing something outdoors, make sure you keep those warning in to the vicinity of that lightning, make sure you go indoors and wait 30 minutes until that thing passes.

Now, one of the reasons that those storms out are there, is that we got a cold front that is approaching and this is going to be bringing a lot of heat relief for some folks, an advisory still in effect here, their back, yes. You're in it once again Oklahoma City, down towards Dallas and the Houston over towards Jackson Mississippi where the heat indexes between a 105 through 110 as we head to the rest of the weekend.

But here comes that cold front and that's kicking up those storms and that's going to bring cooler conditions in across the Midwest, the northeast and eventually trying to sink its way down into the southeast as well. It's already feeling really good in Minneapolis. How about that? A day of 77 degrees, Chicago, its 78, the front has passed, your storms have moved through and we mentioned earlier in the show about the air show which had to be delayed for a while.

As you head into tomorrow. You can see that cooler air spilling in; still will stay hot here but watch for those improvements. And last but not least, we're continuing to track the tropics, this could be a very busy week ahead Fredericka, we want everybody in the southeast to be prepared because this latest tropical wave could definitely become our next tropical storm, that name would be Irene.

WHITFIELD: OK, Jacqui. Thank you.

I'm Fredericka Whitfield, more of the news room coming up with Don Lemon.

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