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Abdul Basset al Megrahi Died in a Hospital at Libya; Chuck Brown Dies; NATO Summit Welcomed by Protesters; Roseanne Barr, the Green Party Presidential Candidate

Aired May 20, 2012 - 17:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello again, I'm Fredricka Whitfield. It's the top of the hour now. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

It was an attack that shock the world. The deadly bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie skyline. And tomorrow, the man believes responsible will be buried.

Abdul Basset al Megrahi, he died today at a hospital in Libya. He was 60 years old. His death comes two and a half years after his release from a Scottish prison. Al Megrahi was let go on compassionate grounds because he had prostate cancer. He was expect to live only a few months.

At the time of his 2009 release, victims' families were outraged after he received a hero's welcome in Libya. Many believe al Magrahi was just a small player in the bomb plot.

Earlier today, I talked to a former spokesman for the victims' families who lost a brother in the attack. And I asked him how he felt when he heard about al Megrahi's death.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BERT AMMERMAN, LOST BROTHER IN PAN AM FLIGHT 103 BOMBING: I received the phone call about 8:30 this morning. I'm pleased he's finally left this earth. It was tempered because of, I was exhilarated when Gadhafi was overthrown and killed last year. He was the big fish in the story. And on that day, Megrahi became a small actor in this play. But please understand I can emphasis strong enough. This is not the last chapter in Pan Am 103.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Ammerman and other family members suspect there are people right now in Libya, Syria and Iran who played a part in the bombing. And should be brought to justice.

CNN's Alison Kosik is talking to other family members. She is joining us right now from New York -- Alison.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka.

I actually sat down with one of the victims of the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing. And before 9/11, when you think about it, the flight that went down over Lockerbie, Scotland, was the biggest terror attack on American. Mark Zwynenburg was 29-years-old at time. He was working for Goldman Sachs in London. And that's when he was on his way home for the holidays.

Since the crash, his parents, John and Barbara Zwynenburg have followed each and every twist of the investigation to bring al Megrahi to justice, many times protesting and demanding more information. Si, when they heard the news about al Megrahi's death, they had mixed feelings, saying it is a step forward, but the sadness is still there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARBARA ZWYNENBURG, SON DIED IN PAN AM FLIGHT 103 BOMBING: Miss him a lot.

JOHN ZWYNENBURG, SON DIED IN PAN AM FLIGHT 103 BOMBING: Good kid. Would have been a contributing member to society. I'm very sad about that. Sad for him because we're hurt, he's gone. All the other people -- just think, a member of the family in Washington, a family, under one family lost five members of a family. Unborn children. So sad.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Boy, that is powerful. So, you know, despite al Megrahi's death, Alison, it seems a lot of questions remain about the attack, the aftermath, those involved, right?

KOSIK: You're right about that. And you know, Mark's parents told me that they believe that others are still out there who are responsible for the two or to those 70 people who died on that December day in 1988 including 189 Americans.

They told me they feel it's disgraceful that al Megrahi was actually let out of prison early to go home to Tripoli rather than serving his life sentence. You know, at the time he was said to be cancer stricken with three months to live. But it was three years later. To this day, the family still has a hard time understanding why al Megrahi died surrounded by family when Mark couldn't be. New York Senator Chuck Schumer wants further investigation into Megrahi's release.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK: It is a grave injustice that this evil terrorist, who caused so much heart ache and havoc, died in freedom instead of behind bars where he belonged. It's particularly offensive that he was able to spend his final days with his family when he deprived so many others of that opportunity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: Now, Schumer and many family members believe the oil company BP cut a deal for his release, as part of a deal to secure an oil drilling deal in Libya. BP has denied those allegations -Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Alison Kosik, thanks so much in New York.

All right. Meantime, we are also watching the growing anti-NATO protest taking place right now in Chicago. Some live images right now. Our Paul who has been there reporting in the crowd, says it really is a conglomeration of demonstrators. Some people who are protesting the U.S. economy, the state of the U.S. economy. The others who are protesting the war in Afghanistan, demanding an immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

Meantime, crowds have been growing there all day as these demonstrators have been assembling outside. Inside, just a few blocks away from where they're assembling, leaders of 50 nations are at the NATO summit, which is being hosted by the president of the United States.

So those leaders are gathering at that summit. And top of the agenda, Afghanistan.

Let's bring in chief White House correspondent Jessica Yellin. So, Jessica, the new French president has announced he is withdrawing French troops early. Does that upset this tightly choreographed plan?

JESSICA YELLIN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Excellent question, Fredricka. The U.S. has found a way to spin, or I should say found an elegant way to spin or explain the early French withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan which is, they're drawing down troops from a region of Afghanistan where they were already planning an exit, and transition to Afghan control. And so, the U.S. is saying they're transitioning out French combat troops and the French are leaving in troops to train and help Afghan troops take the lead which is what the goal is in Afghanistan in general. And that allows the president to continue to say that the coalition is together in NATO. And which is the goal here in general. And allowed the president to say this earlier today when he was meeting with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The world is behind the strategy that we've laid out. Now it's our task to implement it effectively, and I believe that we can do so in part because of the tremendous strength and resilience of the Afghan people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YELLIN: Fredricka, another task for the U.S. and all the countries here is to get agreement on international financial support for the plan in Afghanistan going forward. More than $1 billion a year through 2014. And also, to figure out what international military commitments will look like in Afghanistan after 2014 - Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And a neighbor to Afghanistan, Pakistan that is being discussed as well. And apparently there are some reports of the U.S. being denied access to some of the roads in Pakistan. What's going on?

YELLIN: So, for the past many months since the fall of last year, the U.S. has not been allowed to use, until very recently with some exceptions, has not been allowed to use supply routes inside Pakistan. And that's important, because it's the easiest and fastest way for the U.S. to get troops and equipment in and out of Afghanistan. That matters, because as we talk about withdrawing troops and equipment from Afghanistan, it will be increasingly important that there's an easy way to get in and out.

And so the U.S. has been trying to negotiate with Pakistan to get out, to get these routes open and there was hope that there would be a deal cut here with the Pakistani president here. No deal will be cut sources tell us. And the Pakistani president, with secretary Clinton, lots of hope on both sides that they'll get something done in coming weeks. And that's the hope leaving here.

WHITFIELD: Jessica Yellin in Chicago, thanks so much.

Also, in the Midwest, storm chasers couldn't resist going after this one. This tornado was swirling around near Lawrence, Nebraska. And although officials warned residents to stay indoors, the storm chasers were out running after the twister. The evening storms were accompanied by high winds and hail as well.

And life is looking pretty sunny for Mark Zuckerberg, after making billions of dollars off facebook's IPO on Friday, he shared another big announcement with the world. He got married. And of course, there was no better place to tell everyone he and his longtime girlfriend went on facebook, of course, and changed their relationship statuses to married.

In the next few days, expect news on two big scandals galvanizing attention around the world. CNN's Josh Levs has a quick look for us. What do we expect this week?

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Hey, there again, Fred. We got a lot coming up this week. We are going to start off with tomorrow when the jury in the trial of John Edwards former democratic presidential candidate will resume its deliberations. The jurors ended their first day of Friday, without a verdict. Edwards is charged with six counts of accepting illegal campaign contributions, conspiracy and falsifying documents. If convicted on all the charges, he faces up to 30 years in prison. And also, $1.5 million fine.

Now another scandal, take a look at this, on Wednesday, the secret service scandal hearing, there will be a public hearing on that prostitution scandal involving the secret service agents in Colombia. This means the secret service director, Mark Sullivan, and acting inspector general Charles Edward will testify for anyone to see. They'll speak to the Senate homeland security committee, one of several committees investigating what took place at a hotel in Colombia before President Obama traveled to that region for the summit of the Americas.

And one more thing you should know about happening this week, folks, pink slime. Workers there getting pink slips. We're talking about Beef Products Incorporated, the primary producer of a product that's got a lot of attention this year. It's had to close three of its four factories. Six hundred fifty workers are expected to be let go at the end of this week. Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver railed against the lean beef trimmings. And microbiologists kind another name for it. But the U.S. government said it's completely safe.

A lot more to that story at CNN.com. I got some links for you up on twitter as well.

Fred, coming up later this hour, we're taking a look at more things happening this week. We've got a really interesting unique event for Vietnam veterans.

Also, why some creators of apps are getting a lot of money from the U.S. government. We'll have that in about 20 minutes.

WHITFIELD: Interesting stuff. We look forward to that. Thanks so much, Josh.

LEVS: You got it. Thanks.

WHITFIELD: All right. Comedian, actress and author, Roseanne Barr running for president. There she is. Seriously, she's fighting for her party nomination. She wants your vote. Is that a wrist band to prove it?

ROSEANNE BARR, GREEN PARTY PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, this is the last thing I went to.

WHITFIELD: OK. You'll have to tell us all about that. Roseanne Barr, she's joining me live.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Comedienne and actress Roseanne Barr is running for president as a green party candidate. Is she serious? We last saw her on the reality show of "Roseanne's Nuts." The show capture the life of the self-describe domestic goddess as she was running a macadamia nut farm in Hawaii. Well now, she's running for the highest office in the land.

Roseanne Barr, joining us now from Los Angeles. Good to see you.

BARR: Good to see you, too.

WHITFIELD: All right. So this is not some nutty idea. You're not joking. You're really running seeking the green party nomination, yes?

BARR: Yes, absolutely. But I'm glad you used the words nutty. Because I'm also a nut farmer in Hawaii.

WHITFIELD: You are still doing that?

BARR: I'm nuts about my nuts. Nuts are a great way for people to get protein, and, you know, if people were to get their protein from nuts rather than beef, well, there wouldn't be any global warming, or any of that problem, because there would be enough grain and stuff also to feed every hungry person.

WHITFIELD: OK.

BARR: So, you know, the green party is kind of out there. But it's my kind of out there.

WHITFIELD: OK. So -- and you are nuts about representing the green party. Why are you trying to encourage people in California for the presidential primary to vote for you instead of voting for Obama or Romney?

BARR: Well, because here's why. Because it's a free vote. Because each of those candidates, you know, are already, you know, shoo-ins to get their party's nomination. So it's not taking any votes away from Obama or Romney.

But I have this message, that Monday in California, that's tomorrow, is the last day that people can register as greens. And why I encourage Democrats to register as greens is because, you know, you can still vote for Obama, but you can send a message to the Democratic Party, as can Republicans who want to register as greens, and I think there's a lot of stuff in common that both can agree on, to send a message to Washington --

WHITFIELD: What is the message to Washington?

BARR: The message is to all of Washington, D.C., that the American people are tired of the corrupt two-party system that, you know, is totally irrelevant to, you know, the American people. Because both of those parties have indeed marginalized 90 some percent of the American people from each of their parties.

So that's what the greens are about. It's also about bringing progressive issues, specifically the ten key values of the green party. Which I think all of the people on the left and right side of the aisle can agree on. It's a party of solutions. A party of small, yet efficient government. You know, of a good, you know, being good to mother earth, and thinking of alternative ways to make things happen besides the ones that got us in this big mess.

WHITFIELD: And some of the other issues that you're hoping to promote as part of your platform, ending the involvement in foreign wars, Afghanistan --

BARR: Yes, all wars. I'm for -- I try to live my life according to what I think is right and what I think is right is a whole new -- I want us to stop and start over with a new kind of system from bottom to top, that eliminates, you know, a kind of system that is the end to slavery, war and usury. All the kind of capital sins that brought us here.

And if we would do just a fraction of those, there wouldn't be any more problems. They'd all be solved. So I'm for, like solving solutions, and one of my suggestions is a debt jubilee. And that is to ask the bankers of the fed who control everything in this country, and are in cahoots with those who control everything in the world, to lock at the idea of debt forgiveness, and --

WHITFIELD: Especially as it pertains to student loan debt?

BARR: Yes, that's in the United States to forgive the student loans as a stimulus to the housing market. I'm just applying common sense to it. Because while a lot of these kids have moved in with their parents, because they have this huge debts. They can't pay of their student loans. Believe me, the parents aren't thrilled about it either. And they would like to see their kids move out. And the fact is, the kids could use that same money to put a down payment on a house which would bring housing starts, which is, you know, what stimulates our economy and brings back our middle class.

So, for bankers, the wealthiest and most powerful among us, to like join in with us instead of being our adversaries. And, you know, put their patriotism above their profits and join with the American people to do their part in, you know, forgiving a portion of this debt and asking themselves, is there a way that you could increase debt forgiveness to a mere one percent instead of zero percent?

WHITFIELD: OK.

BARR: And I just want to appeal to, you know, what is good and decent in all Americans that we definitely have to solve our problems and help our people.

WHITFIELD: So Roseanne, I have some more questions for you --

BARR: We need to do that. I think efficiency --

WHITFIELD: Tell me after the break, actually. We need to take a short break. But I want you to tell me about that.

BARR: I know, I'm bad. I know I go on.

WHITFIELD: You're not done.

BARR: I go on forever, I know.

WHITFIELD: Whether you have any concerns about, you know, whether people might call you a potential spoiler. Whether you would help --

BARR: I'll talk about that.

WHITFIELD: You know, 2000 election which ultimately ended buy be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court. At the time your predecessor Ralph Nader was the green party candidate and representative. I want to talk to you more about it. Don't go anywhere, OK?

BARR: OK.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Continuing our conversation with Roseanne Barr. Yes, comedienne and actress, she's running for president as a green party candidate. She wants to win that nomination of that party.

So Roseanne, you know, let's talk again. You say you want to legalize marijuana, close America's foreign military bases, do away with federal reserve, among other things. But if you don't win, you know, the race to the White House, do you --

BARR: Those are small points.

WHITFIELD: Those are small points?

BARR: No, they're huge, actually. So those are all huge points.

WHITFIELD: Yes. That's part of your platform. OK. So, if you were not win, however, you were to get the nomination for your party, do you worry at all this might promote kind of a repeat of what we saw in 2000, that there would be a splintered vote that potentially the election could be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court again? Or at least with their participation again?

BARR: Well, you know, I'm glad you asked me that question, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: I'm glad you're glad.

BARR: I think what we need to do is we need to have paper ballots. And I think that's the real lesson, not whether, you know, Ralph Nader ran, or there's a third party that actually stands for progressive issues which it does and there are ten key values everybody should take a look at. But it's really about paper ballots and how the votes are secured and how the votes are counted. And I think that was the problem, not Ralph Nader.

WHITFIELD: OK. And if it comes to the point where there is a victory speech, are we going to see Roseanne Barr -- I know this is a serious run -- but you are a comedienne, too. We've heard your rendition of the national anthem.

BARR: I'm the only serious comedienne in this race, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Would we hear it again? Seriously?

BARR: Would you hear what?

WHITFIELD: The national anthem.

BARR: My God. You're trotting that out? You know what, I'm going to speak to that if you'll let me do that. now, I updated that on my Roseanne's Nuts cable show. And people have come up to me since then to say that they loved my second rendition.

You know what, I think the lesson here is people make mistakes, and then they, you know, after they've apologized 9,000 times, they should be forgiven and it should be forgotten. And you can, again, stop and start over again and do things better which I indeed did in my second rendition. I'm very proud of it. My grandson was with me. I sounded real good. And I encourage everybody to go over there on you tube and see me sing it in a real respectful version. WHITFIELD: OK. Because we do have a rendition. I hope -- is this going to be the rendition number one or number two, people?

BARR: Number two is the better one.

WHITFIELD: OK, number two. Let's hear it.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYING)

WHITFIELD: I like it. That's beautiful. And that's a hard song to sing.

BARR: Well, I like the idea that you can get better over the years, if you try, and you practice. You can get better.

WHITFIELD: Agreed. Practice makes perfect. Well, of course, all the best in your pursuit of the green party nomination.

BARR: Thank you so much.

WHITFIELD: And the run for the White House.

BARR: Vote for me. Bye. Thank you so much.

WHITFIELD: Thanks so much, Roseanne Barr.

BARR: Thanks.

WHITFIELD: All right. A woman loses her wedding ring in 15 tons of trash. Find out how she figured out where it was.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Back to Chicago now, hosting city of the NATO summit. And where anti-NATO demonstrators are gathering.

CNN'S Paul Vercammen is there. So Paul, you're just two blocks in the summit site McCormick right along Lake Shore drive? What else is happening now?

PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, just a short time ago, I'd say at least 60 former veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan came up onto that podium behind me and they grabbed their medals, many of them said they were apologetic, and they threw them. And as we speak right now, a little bit of movement in the crowd here as more people try to get close to McCormick place. This is where the NATO summit is taking place.

So various speakers have come up here. And as we said police estimate between 1,800 and 2,200 people filling into this park, participating in this demonstration. They marched from Grant Park in Chicago earlier. And basically it has been very peaceful.

Now, there have been some taunting of police by protesters, most of them in black or bandannas. And just below us, we're now being told that we might have to move. You can see policemen in riot gear. He's right below our camera position. So, some sort of effort is taking place, or police in riot gear are going to mobilize right now.

So far, though, as I said, Fredericka, it has been a peaceful demonstration.

WHITFIELD: All right. Paul Vercammen, keep us posted. Thanks so much from Chicago.

All right. A new honor for Vietnam veterans, and a lot of money for people who create Smartphone apps.

Our Josh Levs has a look at the week ahead - Josh.

LEVS: Yes. Take a look at this, Fred. One of the things we're following this week, Vietnam veterans are being honored in a whole new way. Tomorrow at fort hood, Texas, the military will hold a welcome home ceremony for those veterans. Military officials said Vietnam vets did not get the welcome they deserved when they came home from war.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LTG. DON CAMPBELL JR., III CORPS & FORT HOOD COMMANDING GENERAL: On May 21st, Fort hood is going to give our Vietnam veterans the welcome home they deserved.

Alongside our brave men and women of today and in front of hundreds, perhaps thousands of supporters waving welcome home banners, Vietnam veterans will march onto the Freeport parade field so we can finally say thank you, job well done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEVS: Looking forward to that. The military set Vietnam vets from around the nation will received the same fanfare that present-day soldiers get when they return from Iran and Afghanistan.

Also this week, this is really an interesting one from the U.S. government as well, some creators of apps for smart phones and tablets are getting a chunk of $1000,000. And the U.S. government is giving away in an apps for energy program. The competition is taking place throughout the spring. We're going to learn who the winners are. These are for apps designed to help people save energy and also save money. So we'll find out who's getting that right there.

You know, we got a few seconds left. Let's do a little pop culture.

One of the most successful shows on TV, land tomorrow night, that's called "House." The show starring the brilliant Hugh Laurie, one of my wife's favorite show actually. Although, even she is not watching this year. Bring back Cathy. Two-hour final event tomorrow night. Expect a lot of talk about that. He is pretty amazing. And we'll expect to talk about it the next day as well to weigh in on how people had their big finale.

We got a lot more for you. What's coming up this week, facebook and twitter, joshlevscnn blog, as always CNN.com/josh. Plus check out CNN.com's ahead of the curve.

WHITFIELD: Where have I been? I didn't know that House would be closing its doors.

LEVS: There were so many potential doctor metaphors I could have used and I just decided to steer clear of all of them. Hang it up.

WHITFIELD: And I jumped right in with --

LEVS: You did.

WHITFIELD: Well, bye-bye to "House." All right. Thanks a lot, Josh.

LEVS: You got it.

WHITFIELD: All right. So, if you're one of those people who's ever had a scare after taking off, say, your wedding ring.

Look at this. Take a look at all the trash you're about to see. All that trash. Well, Deb Kirby had actually to go through all that trash after she took off her wedding and engagement rings, along with three others. She accidently threw them away. And the dump truck had already taken off.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEB KIRBY, FOUND RING IN TRASH: My voice was shaking. I think I said, Aaron, I'm completely freaking out. I said, I believe I threw away my wedding rings. I really felt so stupid. I thought I was going to be all by myself in a pile of trash digging for this. Eight men came out and helped me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fifteen tons of trash in the pile itself. And we were looking for a black bag with a blue tie on it, which there was a lot of them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Oh, my God. That is amazing. In the end, it took 30 minutes to find those rings. In all of that trash. That's pretty remarkable at that time. Just that little bit of time.

All right. So, it had all the makings of a classic Hollywood story. A scrappy horse comes out of obscurity to win a big race, and then another one. Now a lot of people are watching for yet another. A triple crown perhaps.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Football fans in London are celebrating. You know I'm talking about soccer, right? For the homecoming of the new European league champion, Chelsea, took home the trophy after a nail- biting final in Munich. The team squeezed in the deciding penalty shots to beat Bayern Munich on its own turf. This is the first time Chelsea has won the champions league. Best to them. And an upset in the making in the NBA play-offs and I will have another. I know this sounds like I'm talking about a drink, it's the horse. It's spurning with the triple crown.

NPR sports correspondent, Mike Pesca is here with his take.

So, let's start with the NBA pay-offs. Mike. The Miami heat is packed with superstars, including Lebron James, who just won his third MVP award. If he was the favorite to win this year, didn't make it. It's been the favorite to win this year. That is until the heat ran into the Indiana Pacers.

So Mike, these teams are playing this afternoon. The game has been going back and forth. But is there potential for a full-on meltdown?

MIKE PESCA, NPR SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Well, yes. There certainly is. I mean, the juggernaut, the Indianapolis bound in the Indiana Pacers, they are the ones who are going to knock the heat off. No one saw this.

What really happened to the heat was they lost their big man, Chris Bosh. Without him, opponents can just pack it in, and just dare them to shoot from the outside. So then the burden doesn't come down on Lebron James, though everyone likes to blame Lebron James for everything, including the economy. But it doesn't comes down to Lebron James. It comes down to Dwayne Wade.

Dwayne wade has to hit his shots. In the first few games of this series, he hasn't made a three-pointer. And that's why the heat are traveling 3-1 going into this game four. It's really close. I have to tell you, if the heat lose this game, they probably won't win the series and it will be a huge flameout, no pun intended.

WHITFIELD: My God.

OK. So, Bosh is out. He is injured. That was a good one, though. He's injured. Dwayne Wade. I mean, that's a lot of pressure on one player. But, is he the kind of player who, you know, does even better under pressure?

PESCA: Yes. Dwayne Wade has been a great player. He's only six feet tall. He's like the best defensive 6-foot-tall guard I've probably ever seen. But, the problem is he's getting older. And when Lebron James signed, it was assumed they would be the big three, Bosh, James and Wade would be.

But, you know, with injuries, with age, with things happening, sometimes the big three have been forced to be the big one and a half or the big two. And other teams are good. And teams like the Pacers are really balanced and they get scoring from, you know, five, six, seven, eight guys. And the heat are basically three guys. When they're forced to be two guys, in this case kind of one and a half guys, even the heat, even Lebron James can't win under those circumstances.

WHITFIELD: Well, let's hope the heat ignites the play-offs and they don't go down in flames.

PESCA: We're one done and pun.

WHITFIELD: Ok. All right, Mike.

Let's talk about a very exciting horse race yesterday. I mean, the Kentucky derby was exciting. And this one was a real nail-biter at the Preakness. And here we go again, I'll have another, indeed had another.

PESCA: Yes. You know, if you had Ti Voed (ph) the Kentucky derby and went to watch it. And instead, you turned on the Preakness, you would say, oh, this is the same race. The same exact thing happened. Here, we see Body Meister go wire-to-wire, tried to win it from the get-go and caught at the end by I'll have another.

By the way, I'll have another, the -- what they're referring to is cookies. I don't know if you knew that. I'll have another cookie.

So, here we have the situation where since in 1978, it was secretariat in Seattle won a triple crown in '78. Eleven times horses have come in to the Belmont stake, trying to win that triple crowns in '78. Eleven times they've failed. I'll have another will try to be the 12th horse.

I do have to say, just because it's very burling for 3-year-old these are like the equivalent of teenage athletes, it's the longest course in America, longest track in America. I would say that even though I'll have another will be the favorite in that race, I would say he's a long shot.

I don't know if he's a Roseanne Barr winning the presidency long shot, but he's certainly a long shot to win that race. Just because horses better than him, I'm going to say, have tried and failed. And you know, the horses he'll be racing against often are fresh. They don't have to be entered in the other two triple crown races. So you have a horse like this who's raced three times in six weeks, against a really fresh horse, it's a very tall order.

WHITFIELD: All right. We are back to Roseanne Barr. She says hey, nuttier things have happened.

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: All right. Mike Pesca, always good to see you. Thanks so much. Have a great rest of the Sunday.

PESCA: Yes. You're welcome.

WHITFIELD: All right.

Seven CNN viewers have been chosen to train for a triathlon with Dr. Sanjay Gupta. They spent this last week in Kona, Hawaii, with Sanjay at a fit nation booth camp. Sanjay chatted with a teen member Denise Castelli, who is also a below-the-knee amputee.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DOCTOR SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm about to introduce you to one of the most inspiring people I think you may ever meet. She also happens to be a member of our lucky seven. Denise, how is it going? You're here in Kona.

DENISE CASTELLI, FIT NATION PARTICIPANT: I know, life is great right now.

GUPTA: Surf is pretty beautiful.

CASTELLI: It is.

GUPTA: Denise, people see you right away that you are missing below the knee on your right leg.

CASTELLI: Yes.

GUPTA: So, tell us what happened.

CASTELLI: In 2008, while I was a senior in college, I was sliding into second base and broke my leg. From that day I just had an infection, and there were problems with surgeries after that. So I ended up an amputee.

GUPTA: Did you at that time, I imagine there were so many things going through your mind, one of which was, I may never be an athlete again.

CASTELLI: Yes. I remember very clearly being laying in a hospital and right after the amputation thinking, OK, you need to pick up the covers and you need to take a look at your life now. And, you know, it took a lot of courage, but I decided I had to face it head-on, and try to regain my life back.

GUPTA: You are going to be competing in this triathlon with everyone else now.

CASTELLI: Of course, yes.

GUPTA: Is this a wholesale change in your life, meaning this is obviously an event in Malibu in September, but how much of an impact for Denise's life has this made?

CASTELLI: Now that I'm doing this, I know that I can do absolutely anything. I mean, the possibilities -- it's limitless now.

GUPTA: I appreciate that. It's a real inspiring thing. Real honor to know you.

CASTELLI: Thank you very much.

GUPTA: Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Incredible.

So, to find out more about Denise and the other members of the team in training, go to CNN.com fit nation. The triathlon is in Malibu come September, from Kona to Malibu. Life is good.

All right. If you want to see something really cool, you'll want to stay right here. A rare solar eclipse is happening today. We have live pictures from Hong Kong where people are gathering to watch. Unfortunately, there are a lot of cloud cover right now. We are going to tell you when and where you might be able to check it out from where you are.

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WHITFIELD: They want to see that ring of fire. Very rare solar eclipse is happening today. Live pictures right now. It's something called the ring of fire eclipse, because the sun appears as a thin ring behind the moon. People in parts of Asia are about to get a good look at it. If only those clouds would move away there in Hong Kong. And hopefully you'll get a chance to see it somewhere in the U.S.

Bonnie Schneider, in the weather center help us. Where can we find it? Who is going to be lucky?

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: A lot of people, I think, especially the southwestern part of the U.S.. As we showed you, in Asia to Hong Kong, a little overcast, but there's a lot to talk about when it comes to this solar eclipse - sun, that's why we are going to see it.

The best viewing is in eastern China, Southern Japan, and western part of the U.S. It's a partial eclipse for parts of eastern Asia and western north America. Meaning, they will see part of it, not the full thing. So, really along this red line, here just to let you know, from start to finish, across Asia all the way to the U.S. is the best chance for viewing. And to the north of that is really where we see the partial eclipse. So keep that in mind.

And looking at the U.S., where our focus is along this red line from beginning to end, is where we see the eclipse. Notice the cloud covered though from northern California then, it may impact some of your viewing.

But, for those of you in Redding, 5:12, that's when you're likely to see it. And most of the time goes about two hours, so you have ample time to enjoy it. And then Reno, Grand Canyon, some terrific spots across the southwest where the weather is good and skies are clear. So, Albuquerque is another place on the map.

But, it's important to note if you're going to try to view it, you have to do it safely. You don't look directly at a solar eclipse, because it's dangerous for the naked eye even if you wear sunglasses, vernaculars or telescope without a solar filter.

And here's the obscure fact for you, for those of you who are welders, if you use filter number 14, it works. It's OK. WHITFIELD: I know. Right, wear random.

SCHNEIDER: Generally speaking, places in the observatory in Los Angeles, they have special goggles that they can wear and a lot of people are out western taking a sense of celebration. And, you know, you can also watch it online, of course. But do it safely, and enjoy it.

WHITFIELD: OK. That's very cool stuff. All right. Thanks so much. Wish we could see it. But, we'll just have to enjoy the video when it comes in, right?

Thanks, Bonnie. All right, Bonnie. I know you grew up in New York area. I grew up in the Washington area. So many of us know about go- go music.

Well, the godfather of go-go, Chuck Brown, passed away. You remember his legacy and how he created that blend of funk, rhythm and blues, and beyond.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Lovers of go-go music are remembering one of their own, Chuck Brown. Many knew him as the godfather of go-go. Funeral arrangements are not finalized yet. But, the mayor of D.C. told a local radio station that flags in the district will fly at half staff when the funeral happens.

We sat down with Brown not too long ago. And here is a look at his life and how he got dogged the godfather of go-go.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER(voice-over): A music style heavy on percussion and audience participation. It's called go-go music, born and bred in Washington D.C. back in the 1970s.

CHUCK BROWN, GO-GO SINGER, MUSICIAN: It's D.C.'s music. It's where it originated from. It will always be here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: Chuck Brown lived in Washington for 70 years and for 50 of these years, he made the stage his home. Known by many as the godfather of go-go, Brown was the driving force behind the unique brand of music.

BROWN: Right with my own sale because I have always been inspired by people like James Brown and BB King. I was looking for my own sound.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: That distinguished sound, a blend of funk, rhythm and blues, and hip hop. Brown ultimately made it big in 1978 with the number one smash, busting loose.

DONNIE SIMPSON, RADIO/TV PERSONALITY: That was a national anthem in D.C. I mean, there's no quite - I feel like busting loose. It was just the national anthem. It was such an amazing moment for go-go.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: Go-go reached peak popularity in the 1980s and it didn't stop with Chuck Brown.

BROWN: Everywhere you go, you going to hear it. Not just my band, but other bands. You know?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: Go-go music had its moments on the national and international stage but it never went mainstream. But that is something that didn't bother the D.C. space bars.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I like that. D.C. owns go-go. When you hear it, you hear go-go, you think, me at least, live in D.C. I am proud of that.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is really unique to D.C. It is something that was created here and D.C. have ownership of it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: Never professionally trained, the Grammy nominated Brown was legendary for marathon concerts, and he performed right up until the very end.

BROWN: A lot of people ask me when I'm going to retire. That's something that I always give them the same answer. I'm still here. I still have a desire.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Wow. What an icon. So though it's unclear when. Brown's funeral will be, his family and friends have been talking about doing it big. It is got to be big. It is going to be in Washington, Chuck Brown. And you know the right.

And you know the thing, Don, about his music? You noticed everybody who dances, you can't help but smile when you hear the music and move. It's just fun.

DON LEMON, CNN HOST, NEWSROOM: Everybody knows that rip-tan-tan-tan- tan-tan.

WHITFIELD: An example, yes?

LEMON: A lot of examples.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

LEMON: And you and I are talking, I hope he does get residuals.

WHITFIELD: I hope so. Good to see you, Don. What you got going on?

LEMON: We're going be talking about someone this is a grandma and this is her last wish, Fred, but it's not what you think. She is healthy and she is going strong. But I got to tell you about her last wish in a in minute. She has got to be one of the feistiest 80-year- olds that I come across. (INAUDIBLE). She is a pro you tube sensation with the help Rihanna, Missy Elliot and Jlo. Look at her. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You and your 80-year-old dimples just reached --

JOSEPHINE LAMBERTI, SOCIAL MEDIA SENSATION: I may be an old lady, but I'm not shady.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: What's up? She's on twitter. She wanted 80,000 twitter followers. She did it. She is going for a million now and I'm going to talk to her about what's next for her.

WHITFIELD: Now I get the whole JDEMP thing.

LEMON: Yes. JDEMP. That's her.

WHITFIELD: All right, Don. Cute. We look forward to that. Thanks so much, Don.

LEMON: All right.

WHITFIELD: See you in a few minutes.

All right. That's going to do it for me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. And much more in the NEWSROOM with my colleague right here, Don Lemon.

LEMON: Bye, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Have a good week.

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