Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Air Race Disaster; Hundreds "Occupy Wall Street"; Diana Nyad's Extreme Dream; Sting Turns 60

Aired September 17, 2011 - 19:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you so much for joining us. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Don Lemon.

We're going to begin this hour with new information about a deadly crash at a Nevada air race. The death toll is now nine after the vintage plane slammed into spectators in Reno. One witness called the sound of the impact unbelievable -- and you can see why.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)

LEMON: I'm going to share with you what we know. The veteran pilot and Hollywood stuntman, his name is Jimmy Leeward, was maneuvering his P-51 Mustang through twists and turns when something went terribly wrong. As you saw, the plane left the course and crashed straight into the ground.

Leeward and eight others are dead. More than 50 people, more than 50 people injured.

And photographs taken just before the crash show a piece of the plane appears to be missing -- take a close look -- a piece that would have had a major impact on the pilot's ability to stay in control of that plane.

CNN's Dan Simon is in Reno, Nevada, for us.

So, Dan, the NTSB is asked about those photos. They were asked about those photos at a news conference today. The death toll is now up to nine from three.

What did investigators have to say?

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, no question, Don. Investigators are going to be looking at the tail of that aircraft. (AUDIO BREAK) it's pretty certain that at least at one point during the flight, what's called the elevator lift tab dislodged from the plane. Aviation experts have told me that it would be very difficult to control the plane if, in fact, that occurred.

Now, crews here have been at the scene today going through the wreckage. They actually went, you know, over the lapse, if you will, to see where exactly that plane went, and they did find something on the ground. I want you to listen now to the National Transportation Safety Board investigator.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK ROSEKIND, NTSB BOARD MEMBER: We're aware of that. And, in fact, a component has been recovered in the area where that was observed. But I think it's critical at this point to know that we have not identified the component. It will be examined so we don't really know what the component is or if it even came from this particular aircraft. We are very clearly going to focus on that and that's part of the factual information gathering that's going on right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIMON: The question also is about the pilot. Was he in fact experienced? Well, he was 74 years old, had been competing in these races in Reno since 1975. So experience not an issue here. The question is, was there something going on with this plane in terms of the pilot's health. Everything seemed to check out there.

I think the issue, Don, at this point is that little tab that came off. I think investigators are going to be looking at that very, very closely -- Don.

LEMON: Yes, they will. Thank you very much, Dan Simon. We appreciate your reporting from there all day.

You know, it has been a tragic weekend for air shows. We have learned today of a crash at the Thunder Over the Ridge air show in Martinsburg, West Virginia. This crash reportedly involved a T-28 trainer aircraft.

IReporter Jen Clark took these pictures and she called the crash very scary. We're still trying to confirm the information about the injuries in this particular crash. But Jen was there and she took the photos right before and right after the crash.

She joins us by phone now.

So, Jennifer, describe what you saw for us. Tell us about these pictures.

JENNIFER CLARK, WEST VIRGINIA AIR SHOW SPECTATOR (via telephone): Well, we were just watching the show and with my family, and we saw the two planes passing each other and I took the one picture and I thought it came out good. So I was showing my husband on the viewfinder. And just in that split second, we saw like the flash of light that caught our eyes and you heard the explosion sound and it drew our attention. It was scary.

LEMON: And so, I'm sure people were -- it's been all over the news. You're aware of what happened in Reno, in Nevada, before you went to the show?

CLARK: Yes.

LEMON: Were people talking about it? Were they aware of it as well?

CLARK: I just overheard people in passing during the day bringing it up. But nothing big.

LEMON: So, you weren't worried?

CLARK: No, I wasn't worried. I knew about the reason know thing and it crossed my mind when we talked about going. We didn't have any second thoughts about going or anything.

LEMON: What was the reaction from people when this happened?

CLARK: You just heard the whole crowd gasp simultaneously and everybody just kind of went silent and just was watching what was going on. People were getting emotional. Hand over their mouths. Some people were crying. It was scary.

LEMON: This was not near a stand where there were spectators, correct?

CLARK: No. It is off in the field.

LEMON: OK. Do you know anything about -- did you see the response? Did you see ambulances or the rescue folks? Do you know about the people who were on the plane?

CLARK: I don't know anything about the people on the plane. We did see all of the fire trucks and the ambulances and the emergency vehicles taking off in that direction. They announced over the loud speaker for everybody, you know, to stay they were at and not use their cell phones and stuff like that. They just rushed over and used the water, foam or whatever, and put the fire out.

And then they just announced that the show is canceled and there would be no other flights for the day.

LEMON: Imagine, less than 24 hours of each other. Jennifer, thank you very much. We're glad that you're OK. If you get any more information, get back to us, OK?

CLARK: OK, thank you.

LEMON: Let's talk about all of this now -- Reno and what happened in West Virginia with Jim Tilmon. He's a veteran pilot and aviation analyst and with experience pilot both military and civilian aircraft.

And he joins us now by phone from Scottsdale, Arizona.

Man, less than 24 hours of each other. I don't know if you can see the television there of this new incident, Jim?

JIM TILMON, AVIATION EXPERT (via telephone): Yes. I saw that. I'm concerned that people get this feeling that these shows are just inherently dangerous because we've had two now within 24 hours. Understand how many shows, how many weeks and months, and what else don't die without any of this. So, I don't want to draw conclusions to the proximity of the two.

LEMON: Can you tell us -- listen, it's -- I'm getting information that it's not fair, it's not correct, I should say, to call what happened in Reno an air show. It's an air race. There's a difference between an air race and an air show.

TILMON: That's correct.

LEMON: Yes.

TILMON: There's a big difference. Exactly. The Nevada race is a very, very high-speed race close to the ground with aircraft that have been modified to fly much faster than they were originally designed to fly.

LEMON: OK. Let's talk about this tail pin, airlines tail. And the pictures, by looking at that picture, that -- would that have caused the pilot to lose control in the event that happened in Nevada?

TILMON: Well, it's very likely it would. It could have been. You know, that little tab looks innocent by its size and the size of the airplane.

But you have to realize what it does is it takes care of the air load on the pilot as he's trying to maintain a certain configuration. It also eliminates flutter which is a very dangerous condition to have when you're flying at those speeds and potentially that close to the ground.

LEMON: What might cause this trim tab to get damaged, Jim?

TILMON: I would think -- I mean, of course I have no way of knowing, but it sounds like it may have been structural failure. You know, that's -- you have to -- the air on an airplane flying at those speeds are extreme. And, you know, you can call this an extreme sport for lots of reasons, because everything about the airplane and the pilot are being pushed to absolute limit right up against the edge of what it's capable of performing.

So, if you're going to have a structural failure, you're likely to have it on an airplane in those kinds of conditions.

LEMON: Yes. Listen, I want to say when you were talking about this, you said right away, I don't want people to think that this is dangerous. The last spectator death at a U.S. air show or air show was in 1952. So, again, that was a long time ago. And these two are close in proximity. So that's just what happened.

Listen, I want to ask you about this and what everyone is talking about. They said that the pilot -- at least for the people who were there the spectators that he tried to correct, steer away from the crowd. He may have saved a lot of lives. But could his age have played a role? He was 74 years old.

TILMON: I discount that a lot. You know, if age was a factor, what kind of factor was it? Did it mean that he has a reaction time was slow or did it mean that he blacked out or something? Guess what? This gentleman not only was a highly experienced professional pilot, I call that because that's what he was doing. I also point to the fact that, you know, he got off a mayday. Still got off a mayday. If you were conscious of what's going on at that moment, you know that you are in a situation that's perilous. That you're likely not to be able to come out of or could total the airplane in a way that's going to be designed.

So, I say, discount the age. I really do. I think age is an attitude. Age is a place on the calendar. It's not really a measure of performance.

LEMON: And experience does count for something. So

TILMON: Tell me about it. I got to tell you -- I must rather have that guy in controls of my airplane than one that was inexperienced and much younger.

LEMON: Yes. And as I said, a lot of people said that he saved a lot of lives because it looked like he tried to steer away.

Jim Tilmon, thank you so much. We appreciate you helping us out here on CNN.

TILMON: OK. My pleasure, Don.

LEMON: All right.

Let's move on now and talk about a story that is really garnering a lot of attention.

Four days left to live, Georgia death row inmate Troy Davis will be put to death on Wednesday unless a state parole board decides to intervene during a hearing on Monday. Davis was convicted for a failed 1989 shooting of Savannah Police Officer Mark MacPhail. He has maintained his innocence and seven of nine witnesses in his case later recanted their testimony later.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)

LEMON: As a show of support for Davis, in the streets of Atlanta, his case has inspired protests all across the world. Groups like Amnesty International and the NAACP are leading a campaign to save his life.

But the former district attorney in the case, Spencer Lawton, says the conviction must stand. Lawton claims that Davis used the same gun to shoot another man earlier in the evening before he gunned down Officer MacPhail. MacPhail's mother tells CNN she has no doubt that Davis pulled the trigger in both shootings.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNELIESE MACPHAIL, MOTHER OF MURDERED POLICE OFFICER: I tell you that he shot that guy before and the casings are the same. Now, I think those are pretty good evidence.

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Justice and closure only comes for you when Troy Davis is finally executed? MACPHAIL: I will never have closure because that can't be. But I may have some peace, which I hope for. I certainly need it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Officer Mark MacPhail's mother speaking to our T.J. Holmes earlier today on CNN.

Later this hour, we'll hear from Troy Davis' sister and the man who helped him to turn himself in -- both of whom believe the state of Georgia is about to execute him for a crime that he did not commit. Make sure you stay tuned.

Also ahead on CNN, the two American hikers jailed in Iran for more than two years could be set free at any moment.

And later, you'll hear from Diana Nyad, the 62-year-old endurance swimmer who attempted to swim 103 miles from Cuba to Florida. It's a great interview. You really should see it. Wait until you hear what she said when I asked her if she's going to try again.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Let's go now to some stories making news around the world.

Red tape is all that separates two Americans detained in Iran from freedom. An attorney for Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal says authorities are close to signing documents that will permit their release. The two were arrested with a friend while hiking on the Iran/Iraq border in 2009. Iran demanded half a million dollars each in bail money before considering their freedom.

In India, a bombing today not far from the country's most popular tourist attraction. The blast injured three people at a private hospital in Agra, just two miles from the famed Taj Mahal. Police are not sure who carried out that attack. A bombing in New Delhi this month killed 11 people.

To Libya now. The battle for Moammar Gadhafi's hometown isn't going well for government forces. They had to retreat today after coming under fierce fire in Sirte. A spokesman said eight anti-Gadhafi fighters were killed and another 31 wounded. The National Transitional Council says it is offering a, quote, "final call" for Gadhafi loyalists who switch sides or risk being charged with treason.

A CNN journalist was hit by shrapnel today from a rocket propelled grenade in Libya. Ian Lee was injured during an attack by loyalists near Gadhafi's hometown of Sirte. Lee was treated at a field hospital and then taken back to Tripoli. The CNN crew was traveling with a convoy of revolutionaries when they came under attack. An anti- Gadhafi paramedic was killed in the attack as well.

Ahead, the number of people out of college and looking for jobs is higher than ever. And we're going to take a look at the staggering stats and some solutions for you in case you're out of work or just --

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right. Now, people on Twitter and Facebook anger at the financial industry boiling over on Wall Street today.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)

LEMON: Several hundred people packed into Bowling Green Park in Lower Manhattan for what they're calling an "Occupy Wall Street" demonstration. And they say they're not going anywhere.

So, joining us now by phone is Julianne Pepitone. She's a reporter for CNNMoney.com.

Julianne, you've been out there all day. You have been live tweeting. Listen, what are the - there are reports that there are thousands of people. Not thousands of people out there, right?

JULIANNE PEPITONE, CNN MONEY REPORTER: No. The original call back in July from "Adbusters" magazine was asking for 90,000 people to show up.

And a couple of weeks ago, they down played that asking for 20,000 people. But they certainly didn't get that kind of turnout today. There were several hundred. It's hard to tell who was bystander and who was really protesting. There are about 400 to 500 by the late afternoon.

LEMON: So, clearly, they have a big social media campaign in play here, probably more people on social media than were out there.

Listen, you were live-tweeting, what is, @JuliannePepitone, right, where you've been live-tweeting for CNN Money, right?

PEPITONE: That's right. We've been tweeting pictures and had the video up on CNN Money as well.

LEMON: Before we let you go, what do they want?

PEPITONE: Well, that's the interesting thing about this protest. They talk about we're going to demand something from Wall Street. But the demand is kind of being crowd source, the crowd is going to decide what the demand is.

Of course, when you go by that line of thinking, everyone wants something different. The people I talked to said things as general as, you know, overthrow capitalism. Some have more specific things that they wanted President Obama to do.

So, finding a common voice with hundreds of people is something very difficult to do.

LEMON: All right. Julianne Pepitone, CNNMoney.com, has been out there, live tweeting all day -- thank you very much. We appreciate it.

Let's move on now and talk more about money, specifically unemployment. The severity of the unemployment problem here in the U.S. can't be overstated. Young people are having a particularly tough time in the job market right now. In fact, the number looking for jobs is higher than ever before.

So, I want to bring in financial journalist Nicole Lapin to help us with the staggering statistics.

Hello, Nicole. Good to see you again.

NICOLE LAPIN, FINANCIAL JOURNALIST: Great to see you, Don.

LEMON: Just how bad is it?

LAPIN: It's bad. It's 9 percent nationwide. If you look at young people, though, that jumps to 20 percent. And if you look at young African-Americans, that jumps to 30 percent.

And what's most staggering about this to me is not the sheer rate of unemployment but look at what we just saw, Don. And President Obama said it during his jobs creation speech. More and more young people are still disillusioned by the job force that they're taking to the streets, that they're protesting. They are so reluctant to get back in the game, they'd rather go overseas.

LEMON: During my day, I sound like such an old guy, you know you're going to get a job somewhere, but it may not have been the one you wanted, but at least there was a job somewhere.

I got to ask this, Nicole. We saw the scenes of unemployed youth protesting in the streets of Egypt, North Africa, Europe. So, this is really a major global issue as well. It's not just here in the U.S.

LAPIN: Major, major global issue, of course. Young people unemployed in Spain, 40 percent. All across Europe, it's about 25 percent.

And a lot of scholars I'm talking to, this is not conspiracy theorists stuff, are saying to me, look at what we just saw from CNNMoney.com, that they are more susceptible to be taking to the streets because, think about it, they are young, they are broke, they are disenfranchised, they are disillusioned. And not only that, they're more susceptible to crime, more susceptible to mental illness, more susceptible to suicide. So, we're really raising a lost generation here.

LEMON: One wonders if it's worth it, I'm just saying, to go to college for some anymore.

Listen, what ends up happening here is that they keep going back to school. Then the student debt keeps on piling on. So, they don't a have a job and they have more student debt. So, it's an endless cycle.

LAPIN: It's an endless cycle. That's the biggest problem, 511 percent. That is the percentage that student debt has jumped since 1999. And you know this -- the student body has not jumped 500 percent. So, that means the availability of cheap money and young disenfranchised students who are hungry and just ready to keep on going to school are taking that cheap money and we have a serious debt problem here.

LEMON: Hey, listen, Nicole.

LAPIN: This $550 billion, you talk about debt threat in Washington, if the students default on their debt, we have real problems.

LEMON: Listen, I understand. Listen, I'm up against a break here. But real quickly, if you can do it in just a few seconds -- I hate to do this to a solution, but we've depressed everyone. What is the solution? Is there a solution besides creating jobs?

LAPIN: Entrepreneurship. Remember that young Don Lemon who wrote on his college application, he wanted to be the CEO or founder of that club. Remember that guy and believe in yourself and know your worth.

LEMON: If you build a bridge, they will come.

LAPIN: There you go.

LEMON: Thank you.

LAPIN: They will. If you want to do it over Twitter, there are all these opportunities. Monetize that. Go to companies, tell them you'll do it over Twitter.

LEMON: Good to see you back on this network, Nicole.

LAPIN: It was a pleasure. No better way to spend a Saturday night.

LEMON: Yes, with me as a date. I'm sure. Thank you.

Straight ahead here on CNN, the death toll climbs from a tragic air race in Nevada. And less than 24 hours later, a plane crashes at an air show in West Virginia. Those stories and other headlines right after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Let's check your headlines right now.

A man who was once one of the lions of the Senate has died. Illinois Republican Charles Percy served in the Senate for nearly 20 years and was chairman of the foreign relations committee. Percy clashed with President Richard Nixon and called for a special prosecutor to investigate the Watergate scandal. He considered running for the 1976 presidential nomination but backed off after Nixon resigned. Former Senator Charles Percy, dead at the age of 91.

The only daughter of the late Senator Ted Kennedy died. Kara Kennedy suffered a heart attack after working out according to a statement from her father's institute. This is video of her from 2009 accepting a presidential medical of freedom on her father's behalf. Kara Kennedy was the oldest of Ted Kennedy's children. In to 2003, she was diagnosed with lung cancer but overcame the disease. Kara Kennedy was 51 years old.

Vice President Joe Biden traveled to Pennsylvania to get a firsthand look at the flood devastation. Biden toured neighborhoods hit hard by the remnants of tropical storm Lee last week. Now, record flooding along the Susquehanna River caused hundreds of millions of dollars. Biden pledged federal resources to help the victims.

Let's get more on the weather and that situation as well from our meteorologist Jacqui Jeras.

Jacqui, can people in the Northeast stop worrying more about the flooding now? Is it -- are they out of the woods?

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, they are, you know, for now. The rivers receded and all back within their banks. And we're not really looking at anything in the forecast that concerned us.

As we look at the map from the river forecast center, it will show you across Pennsylvania and to New York and to New Jersey, all it would take is an inch of rain to cause the rivers to go back up. So, it's something we'll be watching very closely. And as we head into more of a La Nina type of condition with our climate, it does bring more active weather and wetter weather to the Northeast.

Now, today, we're looking at showers and thunderstorms in the nation's midsection. And some of these have been severe. We do have one possible tornado in Grant County. This is in northern parts of Oklahoma. Storm spotters did see something near Medford that they're concerned about. So, we'll continue to track the situation.

The one good thing about all of this is we're getting rain in Texas. Hello. How about that? Austin, San Antonio, over towards Houston and even Corpus Christi seeing it all.

We're also seeing some very cool temperatures across parts of the East. We have a number of record low high temperatures today. So, you didn't get above, say, 59 degrees today in Greensboro. Temperatures in the East staying about 10 to 15 degrees below average.

Don, it is feeling like fall out there. Do you love it?

LEMON: No.

JERAS: No? You miss summer. You're a boy of summer.

LEMON: It can be 89, 90 degrees all year round, I love it.

JERAS: And you're good.

LEMON: I love summer. Fall always brings on mild depression.

JERAS: Ooh!

LEMON: TMI. Thank you, Jacqui. JERAS: I'll bring you a pumpkin or something, or some apple cider.

LEMON: Thank you, Jacqui.

She was 61 years old when she attempted 130 miles from Cuba to Florida. Next, endurance swimmer Diana Nyad tells us what it was like and why she had to bail out.

But first I want to tell you about this. Bill Gates calls Khan Academy the start of a revolution. The on-line site provides more than 2,000 video tutorials from calculus to chemistry all for free. Our education contributor Steve Perry sat down with the pioneer and voice behind the videos in tonight's "Perry's Principles."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEVE PERRY, CNN EDUCATION CONTRIBUTOR (voice-over): In a small Silicon Valley office, Salman Kahn is using simple illustrations and lingo to explain math, science, history and even business concepts.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If this does not blow your mind, then you have no emotion.

PERRY: The 10 to 20 minute tutorials on khanacademy.org are free to anyone anywhere.

(voice-over): You've opened up the world of learning to the world.

KHAN: The best way to get the core of most issues, whether it's, you know, poverty, healthcare, whatever, is just having to - even democracy is making sure you have an educated population.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) Sum of negative 31?

PERRY: Dean Brettle uses Khan Academy as a tool for home-schooling his two children.

DEAN BRETTLE, HOMESCHOOLS HIS CHILDREN: What I like about it and what the kids like about it is that you can work at your own pace. They can pause it, rewind it. They can watch it multiple times.

PERRY: And with Khan, you have to master all the material before moving on with only hints to help you.

BRETTLE: If you're struggling with something in a regular school and you don't get it but you take the test and you get a C on the test.

PERRY: You can't move on with a C here.

BRETTLE: That's right.

PERRY (voice-over): Richard Julian is a fifth grade teacher in Los Altos, California. He uses Khan's videos in math class. The software tracks each student's progress.

RICHARD JULIAN, COVINGTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: By doing that, it allows the teacher to know their students very well. It allows them to know their strengths and it allows them to know their weaknesses.

PERRY: Khan Academy is a nonprofit. But it's backed by Bill Gates and Google.

(on camera): You're doing this for free, partner. What gives?

KHAN: You know, if Khan Academy was for profit, it would limit the number of kids that would use it. Hopefully when I'm 80, I can say wow there's a billion kids that use it and maybe will continue to use it.

PERRY: Steve Perry in Cottonwood, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: For 30 years, Diana Nyad have lived with a failed dream of swimming from Cuba to Florida. Last month the long distance swim champion about to celebrate her 62nd birthday hit the water again in her second attempt to complete the 103-mile swim. Can you imagine? Twenty nine hours later, though, she was again forced to abandon her effort because of strong ocean currents, an ailing shoulder and an asthma attack. CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta and I talked with her about the swim and her plans for the future.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: So Diana you quit marathon swimming more than 30 years ago. What made you decide to start training again for something like this. I mean, at age 60 no less?

DIANA NYAD, ENDURANCE SWIMMER: Yes, I'm now 62. So a couple of years ago, I'm turning 60. And just like a lot of people that age, I just went in to for the first time in my life, I went into a deep existential, you know, angst over age. Like my god, what I've wasted all of my life and now there isn't much time left to do anything it with it. You know, that's kind of where I was. And I thought, you know, I never intended to go back to swimming.

I was very happy with my young swimming career, retired as you said when I was 30 years old. Many years ago. But I was driving around one day and I thought, you know something, I know something that could give me a kick in the pants. Maybe I'll do that crazy swim from Cuba to Florida that was always my big extreme dream. I thought, no. Surely you wouldn't go back to it. But I did.

LEMON: Sanjay, Diana was pulled out of the ocean after 29 hours. I mean what does a swim like to do to a person's body? I mean a young person probably in their teens and 20s it would be tough but in their 60s. What does it do to a person's body?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: When you think about all the various elements. First of all, it's simply just being in the water. No matter how warm the water is and Diana likes it a certain temperature. But even with that temperature, your body is just dissipating heat very quickly. So it's hard to maintain your body temperature. Now burning roughly about 700 calories an hour. Even if Diana were to be eating near constantly during the swim, she would not be able to keep up. The same sort of situation with the fluids.

And then you know, you're talking about the other elements, jellyfish stings, being in the saltwater which can make your lips and your tongue start to swell. Sharks as Diana talked about. All of that sort of stuff. You know, as one extreme medicine doctor put it to me, the real race for Diana was to get from Cuba to Florida before her body literally started to deteriorate. I think that - correct me if I'm wrong, but in '78 when you made a similar swim, you lost 29 pounds during that single swim. So that gives you an idea of the total it takes.

LEMON: First to you, Sanjay, she was hallucinating. She started hallucinating. What would make her do that?

GUPTA: Well, it's probably a combination of things here. First of all, you know, at some point she's just becoming sleep deprived as well. You know, as further and further she gets into the swim. She hasn't gotten any sleep. Obviously, she's exhausted from what she's doing and there is an element of dehydration. All of those things can lead to hallucinations.

LEMON: Do you remember when you were hallucinating what you were thinking or were you out of it and you don't remember, Diana?

NYAD: I honestly didn't get that deep into it. As a matter of fact, I was terribly disappointed. You probably know and your viewers know that I went into it a pretty severe asthma attack that was an 11-hour seizure. It was extreme on the body. The duress of it was extreme and it really took me down. That was the culprit of my not making it across. Honestly, I was looking forward to more hallucinations. I wanted to be out there with the meaning of the universe and you know, whether there's an edge to it all or if it just goes to infinity. I never got that far. I feel very cheated that I didn't get to a real mind bending experience.

LEMON: Oh, my gosh.

GUPTA: I love this woman. I love this woman.

LEMON: Right. That is awesome to think that. It's like, this is like what do you call it, runner's high. This is like way beyond that.

NYAD: Oh, yes.

LEMON: Is that what made you stop, is that what made you get out of the water?

NYAD: It was the asthma. It was the asthma.

LEMON: I have to ask you, are you going do it again? NYAD: You know, I've had a deep friendship heart to heart with Sanjay about this. There are so many different elements to it. One is that what I left out there in early August was everything I had. You know, there was no more solution to that particular swim. And so all of us who are on that swim, we held our heads very high. But I will say to you that there is no way that I would leave the ending of the story as it is.

LEMON: Oh, really? What are you saying there, young lady?

NYAD: I can't say it any plainer, any clearer than that.

LEMON: OK. Stay tuned (INAUDIBLE) television. You just read - you took the words right out of my mouth. I was just going to say stay tuned.

Sanjay, thank you so much. Thank you for bringing this story to us, Sanjay.

GUPTA: It was an honor. It really was.

LEMON: And Diana Nyad, thank you for what you do. You inspire all of us. We wish you continued great health and we look for new and exciting things from you.

Diana Nyad.

Breaking news. It's fun, though. I'm being told that there's a Diana Nyad screening party right now in the entire medical unit watching with Diana and applauding. So thank you, Diana. Good luck tonight, Sanjay, with the documentary. You can watch Sanjay's exclusive behind the scenes report on Diana Nyad's swim tonight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern. Only here on CNN. Right at the top of the hour.

Up next this hour though, as we come closer to Troy Davis' scheduled execution, we'll hear from his sister who is desperate to save his life and the pastor who convinced Davis to turn himself in more than 20 years ago.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Georgia death row inmate Troy Davis has one last shot at saving his life. On Monday, a five-member parole board will decide whether to delay, cancel or go forward with his execution. Davis is scheduled to be put to death on Wednesday for the 1989 fatal shooting of Savannah police officer Mark Macphail. Davis' supporters all over the world who believe he was wrongfully convicted, including his sister, Kimberly Davis, and Pastor Derrick Johnson, the man who accompanied Davis on his way to turn himself in more than 20 years ago. I spoke with him not long ago.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KIMBERLY DAVIS, SISTER OF TROY DAVIS (ON THE PHONE): I am feeling just wonderful and me and my family, you know, we are still holding our heads high. I actually spoke to Troy about 4:00 this afternoon and you know, he was just so amazed. Like when he called me on Thursday, we were talking about the over 650,000 petitions that were turned in to the parole board and he watched the marched yesterday on the news. You know, he just said it was so amazing to have so many supporters and he just wants to thank all of his supporters. Thank everyone that believes in him and also that believe in justice.

LEMON: Yes. What has he told you? What has your brother told you about the case, Kimberly?

DAVIS: I'm sorry, I didn't hear you?

LEMON: What has he told you about the case?

DAVIS: Well, he's always maintained his innocence and you know, he told us he was not the one that shot the police officer. And we stand behind that innocence and stand behind his words.

LEMON: Even with the shell casings that were found at another crime scene that matched the crime scene from the officer, you still - he still maintains his innocence and you still believe him, right?

DAVIS: The ballistic report that they did receive after the (INAUDIBLE) at the district attorney was out of the office, the ballistic report showed that those bullets were inconclusive. They did not match.

LEMON: (INAUDIBLE) was a former prosecutor who wrote an article who said that they did match from the crime scene and he was one of the men, Spencer Lawton (ph), he was a former district attorney of Georgia's eastern judicial circuit. He prosecuted the Davis case back in 1991. He wrote an article in the AJC which stated that.

But I want to move on and ask you this. Are you emotionally prepared if the execution happens as scheduled on Wednesday, Kimberly?

DAVIS: Well, I m emotionally prepared as well as Troy. Because Troy said that if the state of Georgia does succeed in executing him, they will only take his physical body because he's already given his soul to god.

LEMON: You know, there's another family involved here, the family of the slain officer, Mark Macphail. His mother spoke with CNN and she's positive that your brother shot her son and a man earlier that same night. So I want you to take a listen to this and then we'll talk about it.

ANNELIESE MACPHAIL, MOTHER OF MARK MACPHAIL: I tell you that he shot that guy before and the casings are the same. Now, i think those are pretty good evidence.

LEMON: Justice and closure only comes for you when Troy Davis is finally executed?

MACPHAIL: I will never have closure because that can't be. But I may have some peace, which I hope for. I certainly need it.

LEMON: Kimberly, do you understand how the Macphail's feel?

DAVIS: Yes. I understand how they feel, yes. I do understand how they feel. And you know, my heart goes out to them. Because you know, my brother, he is innocent. And she said that she will not have any closure. But she won't have closure if an innocent man is executed either. We want justice and justice for Troy Davis, will be justice for Officer Macphail and his family.

LEMON: You said the DA's office never interviewed you about that ride? Did any authority ever talk to you about it?

REV. DERRICK JOHNSON, JOSHUA HARVEST CHURCH: No one ever spoke to me about which - when these many years later I saw on your news network the coverage about his trial, I thought it was odd that no one ever talked to the first person to look him in the eyes, the first person to talk to him. No one asked if, in fact, when I went to get him if he had a weapon on him. You know, just basic questions that you would think people would be interested in.

LEMON: But to this day -

JOHNSON: I was not then -

LEMON: To this day, have you been interviewed by anyone? Have you spoken to police or investigators or prosecutors or anyone?

JOHNSON: Not at all. And Don, you've got to understand the climate in Savannah when this particular heinous act happened. It was already racially tense, the community, the search for Troy pitted the black community against the police in many ways, which made it a volatile situation. So I don't believe at that time there was an interest in knowing what he said to me.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: The parole board meets on Monday. The execution is scheduled for Wednesday. Make sure you stay tuned to CNN.

Next, musician Sting celebrates his 60th birthday. Shannon Cook sat down with him and gives us a preview.

But first, a big hug, a kiss, that's what troops get from family members returning from war zones. But in today's making their mark, it's not people, but dogs that are making a difference.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Awe, thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I missed him a lot. This helps a lot.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: These are welcome home dogs at Camp Atterbury in Indiana. They're specifically or specially trained to help brighten the mood of soldiers awaiting to be processed and debriefed. And these dogs provide just the TLC that the troops need before actually going back to their families. They're awfully cute.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: A member of the fab four just announced where marriage number three is going to be. Former Beatle Paul McCartney. Well, he revealed where he plans to wed his fiancee Nancy Shavelle. And it turns out it's familiar ground. So let's go to CNN entertainment reporter Shannon Cook. She joins me now with more of the story. Hey Shannon, where is Sir Paul getting married?

SHANNON COOK, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Well, first let me say, I love the way you say Beatle.

LEMON: Beatles.

COOK: That's very cute. Very authentic. They're actually getting married in the same venue where Paul McCartney married his first wife, Linda, who died in 1998. It's at the old (INAUDIBLE) town hall, it's a century old landmark in London. Incidentally, another Beatle, Ringo Star was also married there as well as Liam Gallagher from the British band, Oasis. We don't know at this stage when they're getting married. But rumors are flying around that it might actually be fairly soon. It might be as soon as next month. But we do it's probably going to be fairly intimate wedding because that venue, the largest room in the venue only houses about - accommodates about 100 people.

So, Don, we're probably not going to get an invitation to this one. Sorry about that.

LEMON: He is sir - is that officially a royal wedding? I don't know.

COOK: I don't think so.

LEMON: No.

COOK: All right. Listen, that's a milestone, I think, marriage number three. I want you to stay right there, Shannon, because when we come right back, you're going to talk to Sting who has reached a major milestone. We're going to find out what it is, right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: I can't believe this. A rock icon turning 60. I'm talking about Sting. Happy birthday, Sting. So we turn now to CNN entertainment reporter Shannon Cook. Shannon, you were able to give birthday wishes to Sting in person after you interviewed him. Lucky you.

COOK: Yes. I gave him a very big kiss.

LEMON: Did you?

COOK: No, I didn't. I wanted to. But I did not. But -- yes, I -- oh - STING: Twenty years is a sizable -

COOK: Is this us? Sorry. I'm sorry.

LEMON: Yes, let's listen to it.

COOK: I'm screwing this up. Sting is turning 60 on October 1st.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STING, SINGER: I don't feel 60. I feel like I'm 40 1/2 in some respects. At the same time, I think I've always had an old head on me. I've been pretty - (INAUDIBLE), serious beyond my years. So I'm kind of used to it. At the same time, on the other hand, I feel very young. So I think there's a balance. I think as you get older, life does become richer. You know, you realize there's a finite limit. When you're young, you feel immortal.

When you get to 60, you say, OK, there are only a certain number of years, I should use them to the maximum potential. In fact, every event, every occasion should be, you know, treated as something special. So that's enriching.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: All right. Shannon, a little cross wires there. But we get the message. When does he turn 60?

COOK: Sorry. October 2nd. A couple of weeks.

LEMON: Yes.

COOK: And he's celebrating with a very big concert, with a lot of his famous friends here in New York. They're all going to sing his songs on stage with him. That should be lots of fun. And you'll see more of my rather intimate interview with him tonight at 10:00 p.m. Eastern, Don.

LEMON: Yes, you sat down with him for a long time. Was there anything - I mean, sitting there with Sting, I mean who would think that Sting is 60 years old when you think of all of the hits that he's -- and the impression that he's made on pop culture and the world, you don't think of Sting as 60, but he's been around for a long time. What struck you most about him?

COOK: Well, the thing - I've interviewed Sting before. The thing I like about him the most is he's so eloquent. We're talking about this earlier. He - every answer to every question sounds like poetry. He's a true, true wordsmith, a true songwriter. It's just nice to sit there and listen to him talk. And I hope you'll agree when you sit and listen to him talk during my interview later tonight.

LEMON: It's amazing. He and his wife are on not long ago, I think it was for the gulf oil spill. I forget exactly what they were on for. But I mean they finish each others' sentences. Talking about Paul McCartney getting married. COOK: Yes.

LEMON: These two, what appears to be a great relationship.

COOK: He does talk about his relationship too. He says that his relationship with his wife only gets richer as the two of them age together which is really nice. He talks quite a bit about his family which was really nice to get him to talk about that. He also talks a lot about his obsession with touring.

LEMON: He doesn't stop.

COOK: The guy does not stay in the same place for more than three weeks really.

LEMON: We're at the end of the road here. Thank you, thank you, Shannon Cook. Appreciate it.

Hey, audience, tweet us your favorite Sting song, your favorite Police song, whatever. I'll see you back here at 10:00 P.M., Eastern.

Make sure you stay tuned for Dr. Sanjay Gupta Special on endurance swimmer Diana Nyad. See you at 10:00.