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Great Apps for Smartphones; Travel Destinations; Daytime Emmy Awards Preview; Storm Brewing in the Gulf of Mexico

Aired June 23, 2012 - 14:30   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello everyone you are in the CNN NEWSROOM, my name is Fredricka Whitfield.

Jerry Sandusky is now behind bars and he may be there for the rest of his life. The jury reached its verdict late last night and found the former Penn State assistant coach guilty of forty five of forty eight counts for sexually abusing ten boys.

Sandusky was immediately taken away and booked into the county jail. He is now on suicide watch and in less than twenty four hours after his conviction, CNN's cameras caught this moment, his wife, Dottie Sandusky showing up at the jail where her husband is being held.

CNN National Correspondent Susan Candiotti joins us now from Pennsylvania with reaction to the verdict.

Susan, we heard just a few minutes ago that one of Sandusky's lawyers just made a startling revelation, what can you tell us about what was said?

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well we have known throughout the lead up to this trial that his defense team kept asking the judge for more time, more time, more time, to push back the start date of the trial and each time they were turned down.

Well, the brand new information we are learning today from the defense team is that as recently as the day before jury selection, the day before this trial was to begin, they again went to the judge and told him we don't feel we are ethically ready to move forward because we simply have not had enough time to put this case together, or even an adequate witness list, so please, give us more time. And the judge turned them down.

So with that, they had to move forward and this is very likely to be part of their basis for an appeal saying that they weren't given adequate time to prepare. This is what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KARL ROMINGER, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: We actually asked to resign from the case and that was done in secret. Joe Amendola and I asked Judge Cleland if we could withdraw from representing Jerry Sandusky because we felt we were ethically unable to go forward.

QUESTION: When did you ask to resign the case? ROMINGER: We did that the morning before jury selection started. We got an informal ethics opinion from the Bar Hotline and we were told under Rule, I think, 1.16 if I am quoting it right that an attorney has an ethical duty to be prepared and adequately able to represent the defendant. If you can't, you must ask to withdraw from the case, we did that, it was denied.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CANDIOTTI: Again, that was the voice of Karl Rominger, he is one of the co-counsels in this case and he was appearing on his own radio show which appears in this area every Saturday. Fred?

WHITFIELD: So then, why wouldn't these attorneys express themselves further about these reservations or concerns even once jury selection began? They would still have the judge's ear in order to express their concerns about being able to fairly represent Jerry Sandusky, wouldn't they?

CANDIOTTI: Well that would be out of place, the judge already ruled on it, they said, and they were forced to move forward to trial. The deal was done, they had to go forward. But again, Fred, this is something that could be part of the basis for an appeal, saying that they simply didn't have adequate time to prepare a defense for Jerry Sandusky. In the end, even they acknowledged that the prosecutors had a mountain of evidence to use and put together a very strong case and they were ill- equipped they said, to go up against it.

WHITFIELD: So, meantime, this was or this is the first day of jail that Jerry Sandusky is spending. What do we know about how he is spending it, we know that his wife Dottie arrived at the County Jail today carrying a bag, what more do we know?

CANDIOTTI: Well we know that she only spent about ten minutes there so it is unlikely that she had the chance to actually see her husband at that time. But we watched her go in carrying a clear plastic bag and we saw her come out and she went back home. Now, we also know that Jerry Sandusky is under a suicide watch, placed there for his own protection, that order put in place by the trial judge in this case. So that would mean, at the very least, that he is under twenty four hour surveillance at that jail facility.

WHITFIELD: Susan Candiotti, thanks so much for that update.

Meantime, another guilty verdict in a different case in Pennsylvania, a very high profile child abuse case, this one involving an official in the Roman Catholic Church. A Philadelphia jury convicted Monsignor William Lynn of child endangerment, not for abusing children himself, but for helping to keep predators in the church. Lynn becomes the first Catholic official convicted of covering up abuse claims.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SETH WILLIAMS, PHILADELPHIA DISTRICT ATTORNEY: This trial was historic. Monsignor Lynn is the first member of the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy convicted of endangering children that he did not personally assault. However, there is no verdict that can fix the harm done to the victims of adult predators within the church. There is no apology that could heal the wounds these children suffered. There are no words to truly express how sorry we should all be for what happened to them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The jury acquitted Lynn of conspiracy, he could spend as much as seven years in jail for the child endangerment conviction.

Firefighters in Colorado are up against extreme fire conditions today as they battle flames in the High Park fire. We heard from officials a little earlier that it looks like the fire is going to keep growing all weekend long. So far more than 191 homes and more than seventy five thousand acres have been destroyed.

I-Reporter Ken Rager took these photos of the fire from Port Collins, Colorado yesterday, he evacuated his cabin which is about a mile away from those flames, he said that seeing the fire at such close range is both horrific and beautiful in his words.

Overseas now to Kenya. Americans are being urged to leave the port city of Mombasa. Officials have warned of a quote, imminent threat to that city, which is Kenya's second largest and a major tourist attraction. The details were issued with a warning that Kenya has recently been hit with grenade attacks blamed on Somalian terror groups along the coast.

And in Egypt, thousands have gathered in Tahir Square waiting for the result of its run off presidential elections. Election officials say they will be announced tomorrow. Right now candidates are claiming victory. The gathering is a stark reminder of last year's elections that brought down the regime of Hosni Mubarak.

And a possible security breach in Washington. How a man linked to a known terrorist group got access to top administration officials.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Here are some other stories around the globe.

In Syria, President Aashar al-Assad announced the formation of a new government. He named the former Minister of Agriculture as the new Prime Minister. But there are fears of a wider conflict in the region. This after Syrian forces shot down a Turkish Militarian jet. The search for the plane and crew members is now on.

Deadly violence in Gaza today, three people were killed, among them a four year old boy. Palestinian medical officials blame Israeli Artillery fire. Israel has been pounding targets in Gaza in response to sustained fire from Palestinian militants.

And here in the United States, a new question about an Egyptian delegation that came to Washington. One member is linked to a known terrorist organization. You may not believe the places he visited or the people he got access to. Here is CNN's Brian Todd.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He game to Washington in a gaggle of Egyptian law makers, in town to meet with top officials of the Obama Administration. But it appears Hani Nour Eldin shouldn't have been allowed into the U.S. at all. Eldin, seen here on his Facebook page was recently elected to Egypt's parliament as a member of the Building and Development Party. Analysts say that is an arm of the group Gamar Islamia (ph) designated a terrorist organization by the State Department. Under American law, that means he should have been denied a visa to come to the U.S.

CLIFFORD MAY, FOUNDATION FOR DEFENSE AND DEMOCRACIES: This is a terrorist organization without any ambiguity about it whatsoever. And for somebody that represents a terrorist organization to be given a visa to come here and to meet with officials, I think it is dubious diplomacy at best.

TODD: Or maybe a mistake.

In an interview with the Daily Beast, which first reported this story, Eldin said he got a visa. In Washington the State Department acknowledges he met with two of Hillary Clinton's top deputies and with aides to Senator Patrick Leaey and Patrick Graham. Eldin told the Daily Beast he met at the White House with Deputy National Security Advisor, Dennis McDunner.

A spokesman for the National Security Council declined to comment. We tracked through Washington to find out how Eldin got here. First at the Egyptian Embassy.

Well at the Embassy here, they claimed they didn't arrange this visit, they don't know where the delegation is at this moment, they say that this visit and most of the logistics of it where Mr. Eldin came and who he visited, they say that was arranged by a Washington think tank at the Woodrow Wilson Center.

Here at the Wilson Center, a spokesman said this group did not arrange Eldin's visit. He said the State Department handled that. The spokesman said Eldin did have a meeting here but said he is not sure who set that up. The State Department first told the Daily Beast that the Wilson Center invited the Egyptian delegation. Now, a spokeswoman is telling CNN that the Department is looking into who arranged the visit. What about checking Eldin's background?

SAMUEL TADROS, HUDSON INSTITUTE: Let's put his name in Google and the first entry you have here is his Facebook page. Once you enter on his Facebook page, you can very easily see Mr. Eldin himself and a full bio of him where he very clearly says that he is a member of Jamaat Islami and that he was arrested in Egypt, spent eleven years in prison.

TODD: But Hani Nour Eldin told the Daily Beast he is not a terrorist. And Jamaat Islami did renounce violence several years ago. But according to the Daily Beast, Eldin asked Dennis McDunner at the National Security Council about possibly transferring Abdel Ragmar to an Egyptian prison. Abdal Ragmar, the blind Shake, convicted of planting the 1993 World Trade Center attack. Eldin says that request was denied. Again, the National Security Council did not comment.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: There are health matters still ahead. If you are in pain, popping a pill might not give you the only be the only way to treat it. Find out why people are slapping on a patch, and why it might work for you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: If you have pain, should you pop a pill or put on a patch? In the United States, most of us use pills, but some of us are now turning to patches. I have heard of patches getting medication into your system faster, but is the patch the right thing for you?

Dr. Sujatha Reddy is a physician at Premier Care For Women right here in Atlanta, but today, she is joining us from Miami.

Good to see you. So what patch is particularly good for treating pain?

DR. SUJATHA REDDY, PHYSICIAN: Well we know you do well with pain if you can stay in front of it, and why the patch is better is it is a continuous delivery system. You are getting a little bit of pain medicine into your bloodstream all the time. When you take a pill there is an initial spike in the drug level, and then it drops until you take the next dose. The other benefit is, all pills you take go through your liver as they are absorbed through your stomach, and you lose some of the medication so you actually get less into your bloodstream and there can be more side effects and possibly risks from going through your liver, so the patch going through your skin really may be the best thing for pain.

WHITFIELD: So does that mean there really are no side effects as it pertains to patches?

REDDY: No, there are some side effects with patches, the main one is going to be the glue can irritate your skin if it is sensitive, but really beyond that, it may be a great way to treat things like arthritis, a lot of people may be familiar with products like Ben-Gay or Icy Hot, the problem is they only last a short time and there is a lot of odor and mess with them. The patches for arthritis are much cleaner and last longer, so if you need to wake up pain free, putting a patch on before you go to bed may give you an easier awakening, easier to get out of bed with the arthritis pain.

WHITFIELD: So besides the glue, what other disadvantages might there be about patches?

REDDY: Well the patch, the way it is set up, it may be a little more costly. There is a lot of new technology about how to get the medicine from the patch into your skin. SO it can be more expensive. Also, not all medication is amenable to being in a patch. The molecules have to be relatively small and be able to be absorbed through the skin, so that is going to limit what we can use it for.

WHITFIELD: And how do I figure out, whether indeed, the patch is right for me?

REDDY: That is going to be ask your healthcare provider. Right now there is about twenty different drugs that are available in a patch and I have one here. You can see how small and thin this is. Some common uses, and this is actually a hormone patch which we prescribe in our office a lot, patches are commonly used for hormones, for pain, dementia actually, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, and a new technology to be aware of, if is there is good immune cells in your skin there is a vaccine patch that is verging out there, and there is a lot of FDA studies in the works for approval, so if you think it might be right for you, ask your healthcare provider.

WHITFIELD: Yes, you have to ask your physician for it, right, because these are prescription medications, right, you can't get them over the counter?

REDDY: The hormone patches are going to be prescription, but arthritis patches, the first patch that ever came out was for motion sickness in 1979. So some are going to be prescription and some are going to be over the counter.

WHITFIELD: Thank you Dr. Reddy. Enjoy the sunshine.

With the Jerry Sandusky case has also come now a new focus on the horrors of child abuse, we will visit a camp where the healing for victims begins.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: CNN has learned there is at least four separate federal congressional investigations into Florida Congressman Vern Buchannan. The third-term congressman has become an influential figure in the Republican Party, he is in charge of fundraising for the Party's Congressional Campaign Committee and sits on the House (ph) Committee. Well investigators are looking into his business practices, campaign finances and an alleged attempt to stop a witness from talking.

Mary Chaney the openly gay daughter of former Vice President Dick Chaney has married her long time partner, Heather Poe. Dick Chaney and his wife Lynn released a statement saying they are, quote, Delighted about the union and wish the couple every happiness. The couple has two children. Their wedding was on the twenty first anniversary of their first date.

Police say they know who spray painted a Picasso on display at a Houston museum. The suspect is a twenty two year old student at the University of Houston. He was caught on cell phone video painting a bull and the word Conquest on the masterpiece. Charges have been filed but he has not been arrested. The 1929 painting is expected to survive intact. The trial and conviction of former Penn State assistant coach Jerry Sandusky has a lot of people thinking about the toll that child abuse takes on its victims and the healing process can take years.

Our Lisa Sylvester goes inside one child rehab camp to find out how healing begins.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LISA SYLVESTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is the first day of summer, these kids are racing. Something so normal for children that have been so traumatized.

MARK HOMER, CHILD PSYCHOLOGIST: The worst you can imagine that people are capable of, these children have experienced.

SYLVESTER: Sixty boys and girls that live in a residential camp in rural Virginia ranging from ages five to fifteen. They are all victims of physical or sexual abuse.

HOMER: Probably seventy five to eighty percent of our kids have been sexually abused.

SYLVESTER: They live here, eat here, and hope to heal here.

HOMER: Most of the kids don't come out and report that somebody did something to them because there is that whole shame factor.

SYLVESTER: The children's stories of the nonprofit residential center are almost too difficult to hear.

HOMER: The scope of the problem is huge. You can see where they are struggling with some of their identify in some of the pictures.

SYLVESTER: Subject to severe neglect, physical abuse and horrendous sexual abuse, sometimes at the hands of a parent, a step-parent, or another trusted person in their lives. Lancaster says child abusers choose their victims carefully.

STEVEN LANCASTER, CHILDHELP CENTER: If they walked into a room they could pick out which kids they could probably victimize. It's that loner in the classroom or the child that often isn't included in the group.

SYLVESTER: And sexual predators manipulate their victims.

LANCASTER: From convincing the child that nobody is going to believe them, that they are going to lose friends, that everybody is going to hate them, to things as drastic as if you tell then I am going to do something horrible to your family.

SYLVESTER: The advise for parents?

HOMER: Listen carefully and believe what your child is telling you. And to inquire if you see them acting differently. And to avoid what is all too easy to disconcert because priests would never do this or coaches would never do this.

SYLVESTER: When innocence and self esteem are stolen, the center tries to build it back.

LANCASTER: This is such a healing place. We have two hundred and seventy acres that used to be a horse farm

SYLVESTER: The horses have stayed and now are part of therapy.

WOMAN: I think four legged therapists are better than any two legged therapists, very confident building, especially for kids who have been victimized. It gives them a sense of, wow, I am not as small and powerless as I felt at times in my life.

SYLVESTER: When the children leave the center, to return home or to foster care, they leave behind their hand prints at the stables. Some of these hand prints are so small. These ones are about the size of my son's handprint and he is not even five. Small hands, hopefully leaving behind huge burdens.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And Lisa Sylvester joining me now from Washington. So Lisa, can these victims ever feel comfortable using the word recovery?

SYLVESTER: You know the way I phrased it was, can these kids ever move past this and it gets to the same point, do they ever reach a point to make sense of what happened, and the truth is, is that this is something that stays with them for life, it is part of their past and it becomes a prism through which they see the future, but the thing to remember is, kids are very resilient, even the kids that we saw in this piece, and some horrible, horrible things have happened to them, but they are very resilient and the starting point is therapy, places like this, and for anyone really who has been in this situation, to reach out and to get some help and to get some therapy.

WHITFIELD: Incredible advise from the man in your piece that was saying parents need to listen to their kids and to believe them so that kids feel like if they are going to pour their hearts out and explain what kind of experience they may have had, that they don't feel like they are not being believed, that they can find no comfort.

SYLVESTER: Yes, and the other thing is, it is not just in words, because if you imagine how traumatic this must be for some of these kids, they are not able to come right out and say what happened, sometimes it is body language, so there are certain behaviors you want to look for. The child maybe starts regressing, starts wetting the bed again after they have moved passed that stage, or id suddenly they don't want to go over to a neighbor's house or they don't want to go to sports practice, pick up on these clues, ask them, probe and see what is going on.

And another thing is, parents need to be proactive, they should sit down with their children and explain to them about what proper boundaries are , that there are actions and things that are appropriate and things that are inappropriate and they should really start having these conversations at a young age.

WHITFIELD: That would really be a good starting point. Lisa Sylvester, thanks so much.

Our weather team is watching a storm now that could cause a lot of trouble in the Gulf. But we'll check in with them as they track what could become a tropical storm by the name of Debbie today? Maybe.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, more people than ever are using their Smartphones as cameras while on vacation. Rob Marciano is on the go with the latest and greatest apps.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROB MARCIANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: For your next picturesque vacation, leave that bulky expensive camera behind. Nowadays, all you need is a Smartphone.

AMBER MAC, APP CENTRAL: More and more people are using their Smartphones to take important photos while they are traveling with their friends and family because Smartphones are so accessible. There are so many apps that you can take along with you that will really improve the quality of your photos.

MARCIANO: Let's say you have this incredible view and want to soak it all in? Well, 360 Panorama actually lets you take a picture of your entire surroundings.

MAC: It will automatically stitch together all of those images and give you this great panoramic view.

MARCIANO: Here's a popular app, Instagram. It lets you actually take a picture, hey, baby girl, and you can add a variety of filters and then send them out to your friends.

MAC: For a great way to edit your photos on the fly, you really have to try Snapseed. It can change the contrast, the brightness, the saturation and many other features.

MARCIANO: Once you have that picture perfect, you can actually send it old school snail mail. Postcards on the run. It does it with a few clicks.

MAC: You can actually print a scent on to the postcard so when someone receives it in their mail box, they can scratch and sniff the postcard. So that makes it kind of interesting.

MARCIANO: Just some great ways to capture your vacation the next time you're on the go.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Fun stuff. OK, so now you found out the great way to take pictures with your Smartphone and now I'm going to show you pretty some pretty great travel destinations with amazing views whether you're looking at the scene, the beach or the mountains so you'll have plenty to take pictures of. J.D. Rinne of jetsetter.com, joining me now. Good to see, JD.

JD RINNE, JETSETTER.COM: Great to see you.

WHITFIELD: All right. So, let's begin with the beautiful Greek islands of Santorini in particular. This is the place my husband and I actually honeymooned here, so it does live up to the hype, but tell us more about maybe some of the things about Santorini we didn't know when we vacationed there.

JD RINNE, JETSETTER.COM: Well, if the sea is your idea of a perfect view, then Santorini is absolutely the place to go. This is the Greek island in the middle of the Aegean. And the Aegean See is just glorious. Blue water, just wonderful. We have got the great hotel there called the Gold Suites. This is a 14-suite property, so it's very intimate and charming, and it has that whitewashed architecture that you expect on an island. All of the rooms are open plan and everyone has a picture window.

WHITFIELD: It's gorgeous.

RINNE: So you just got some tips on how to take good, you know, smartphone pictures, take one, send it to your network, everyone will be insanely jealous of you. There is that great -- it starts at $462 a night, and it includes breakfast and a bottle of wine.

WHITFIELD: Wow! It is breathtaking no matter which angle that you're looking at, you know, that beautiful sea. So, you know, there are a lot of economic problems, of course, in Greece, particularly in Athens, but in many cases you have to go through Athens in order to get to Santorini. We ended up taking a boat, you know, from Athens to Santorini. How does one avoid what could be a potential problems in Athens, or will there not be any problems?

RINNE: Well, let's remember that Santorini is a world away from Athens, and yes, you may have to go through Athens to get there, but tourism is so important to the Greek economy that tourist officials there actively saying to travelers, please come, come visit, the waters are fine. We can't wait to see you.

WHITFIELD: OK. And now, let's go way on the other side. Let's go to Hawaii now. Can't go wrong there, and no matter what, it's a beautiful view from any window, right?

RINNE: Yes.

WHITFIELD: But you say, you know, that renting a villa or a home really is a great idea for families, groups, friends, et cetera.

RINNE: Yes, at jetsetter.com we have more than 300 private homes and villas. You know, these are multi-bedroom properties where everyone can stay under one roof and you get the kind of access to these island destinations that you just can't get at a hotel. My favorite in Hawaii is Halle Halle Kai (ph). This is a four-bedroom property on the big island, and what the editors at Jetsetter love about the big island is that it's not as populated as some of the other islands, so it's off the beaten tourist path. So, you know, those -- the Hawaii of dreams -- the sea, the beach, the palm trees. You can really get great access on the big island. Halle Halle Kai, like I said, is four bedrooms, it sleeps 12 people, so bring all your friends. It starts just a $125 per person, per night.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh, well, it's very economical once you put it that way. All right, now ...

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: Yeah, let's talk stateside now, mainland. On to Wyoming. You say a mountain view is as good as it gets, particularly this one.

RINNE: Yes, so if you don't need the sea, you don't need the beach, and mountains are your thing, you've got to go to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. We have got another great home there called Elk Crest, this is really close to the Grand Teton National Park, you see those great mountain views and the home itself is sort of something out of a Theodore Roosevelt fantasy. It's a 6,000 square foot cabin, fireplaces, 20-foot cathedral-like ceilings some taxidermy, of course, it is the great west and it sleeps eight people and it starts at just $263 per person, per night.

WHITFIELD: Wow, looking at the interior you don't want to leave the house, but there's a lot to do. You do want to go fishing or hiking or, you know, taking nature.

RINNE: Yes, absolutely, you might see, you know, elk, it is called Elk Crest. Or even foxes and moose. Also, on the property is a fully stocked pond, so if you want to try your hand at fishing, you can catch some cutthroat trout.

WHITFIELD: Wow, that's a lot of taxidermy in there, you're right. But it's gorgeous, nonetheless. All right, beautiful places with views. Thanks so much. J.D. Rinne, I appreciate it.

RINNE: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: And, of course, you can find a lot more travel tips about this amazing bucket list destination and others at jetsetter.com/cnn.

Our Daytime TV is going prime time and we're live on the red carpet. Which of your favorite stars will take home an Emmy gold?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Hollywood is celebrating stars that shine during the day. The Daytime Emmy Awards will be broadcast on our sister network, HLN, tonight, and "Showbiz Tonight" host A.J. Hammer joins live on the red carpet. A.J., who are some of the big nominees?

A.J. HAMMER, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT HOST: Fred, I have to tell you, I just took a tour through the ballroom here at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, and I see so many stars from "General Hospital" are going to be showing up. And it's a good thing because "General Hospital" the most nominated show for the Daytime Emmys tonight, 23 nods in all. They are going to be (inaudible).

Yes, Anthony Geary, Fred, I know you know him as Luke. He's been playing the character on "General Hospital" for decades now. He's the most honored guy in all of daytime television. He's up for a seventh award tonight. It's going to be interesting to see if he wins that, and will continue to set records in the Daytime Emmys.

But you know, it's not just the soap operas, Fred, that are being honored and celebrated tonight here in Beverly Hills. The judge shows -- you know, "Judge Judy" is the No. 1 syndicated judge show in all of daytime. It's never won a Daytime Emmy. She's up for an award, but all the other judge shows are as well. You might get something from Judge Joe Brown. Who knows?

And another big surprise tonight, "Live with Regis and Kelly" nominated for Regis' swan song year. They have never won a Daytime Emmy for best talk show in all the years that he's been doing that show, and maybe, maybe, Fred, he'll be the sentimental favorite tonight.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh, this would be the year. That would be nice. What a great honor that would be for him. So he's just one of the big names, Regis, with the last shot at that Daytime Emmy. Who else is hoping to score an Emmy with their kind of swan song?

HAMMER: "All My Children" left the air in this past year, they're up for 11, including outstanding daytime drama. So I think a lot of people are going to be pulling for them tonight. I can't wait to see Susan Lucci from "All My Children" walking on the red carpet. She once taught me, Fred, how to do the soap opera smack across the face. She has got a little experience in that department, so I'm kind of hoping we can re-enact that on the red carpet tonight.

Another show that's in its swan song, looking to win a Daytime Emmy is the game "Cash Cab," which was recently canceled, but they're up against the juggernauts, "Wheel of Fortune," as well as "Jeopardy," of course, and those shows have been on the air for decades. They have gotten a lot of honors, so we'll have to see. But I can tell you there are going to be a lot of surprises at the Daytime Emmys tonight, not just who wins what, but what you're going to see on stage, including -- and I can't tell you much -- but something involving our own Anderson Cooper and another person or character that you love so much on stage at the Daytime Emmys, right after my one-hour preshow that's at 7:00 p.m. Eastern. The awards show gets under way at 8:00 p.m. Eastern on HLN.

WHITFIELD: That is intriguing, and that will make me and everybody else watch for sure. We were already going to check in, but now we really will. All right, 7:00 Eastern begins our coverage, beginning of course, with the fashion on the red carpet. A.J. Hammer is there. Then the 39th annual Daytime Emmy Awards will celebrate the TV and the stars, the TV shows and the stars that you love at 8:00 Eastern time. We look forward to that. Thanks so much, A.J. All right. Floridians are keeping a close watch on what could become now Tropical Storm Debby. We'll get an update on the storm's strength and where it might be heading.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Florida is bracing for what could become a tropical storm. Let's turn to meteorologist Bonnie Schneider in the Weather Center, and if it does it will also have a name.

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: That's right. Yes, the next name is Debby, we're already up to the letter D.

Not quite a tropical storm, at least not officially yet. And if you're wondering why, it is because the hurricane hunter aircraft is still flying through. Preliminary data indicates this is a tropical storm, but not officially yet. You can see, it's pretty loosely organized. A lot of convention right now is to the east, impacting the state of Florida, but really at this point we're monitoring it because we could see an impact really anywhere in the Gulf of Mexico, so it's important to keep things focused and keep things watchful of what kind of changes we can see.

But I want to show you something I think is really neat. We're going to take a look at the Keesler Air Force base where the hurricane hunter aircraft took off hours ago, and really follow it on its route southward, southward. There we go. Here's the storm. The wind speed right now, 38 miles per hour. If it was 39, we'd have Tropical Storm Debbie, but that's the preliminary data we had. So we're really close.

Now, watch what happens. The plane makes a quick turn to the north and then it loops back around. These planes are incredible in what they can do. And of course, it made that turn to the north because look what's happening just to the east. A lot of convection. So it's kind of working its way around the perimeter of the storm and it is going to take another couple of hours to kind of go through it and get all the data. Here is the surface pressure, and you can see the last movement we have, veering more to the southwest. But that plane will loop around and we'll get all the data as it continues to do that.

So interesting that we're getting the data as it's happening live on the air, which I think is really cool.

WHITFIELD: It is amazing. So instantaneous.

SCHNEIDER: All right, well, here's something that's widespread. We were able to pinpoint where the plane is, but what's going on here? The computer models are all over the place. A lot of divergence here. Some of the models taking it toward Texas, and some of the later runs even towards Mexico, while others are taking it more toward Florida.

So the reason we're seeing so much divergence, if you look here, this is where the beginning of the models start. We don't quite know where the center of circulation is. Once we get that data in, when we get the name of the storm and all the other data from the hurricane hunter aircraft, then we'll have a better idea of the track. But right now we have a general idea that everyone in the Gulf of Mexico needs to be on alert.

However, looking at some of the winds where we're seeing the strongest winds, it really is impacting areas east. So this is some real-time data for you where we're getting some stronger winds. The wind speeds in New Orleans have definitely picked up, but our computer models are showing the precipitation is more enhanced toward Florida over the next 48 hours. So still, a lot of questions remain with this system, and we'll bring it to you live as soon as we get the latest from the hurricane hunters when we have officially a tropical storm.

WHITFIELD: All right. That mystery storm. We know you're on it. Thanks so much.

SCHNEIDER: Sure.

WHITFIELD: All right. Obesity rates are skyrocketing in America, so the government wants restaurant chains to post calorie counts. As Brian Todd reports, pizza executives are fighting back.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Lunch time and I'm ordering pizza for my colleagues and me. Let's see, it's 100 degrees outside, and I don't want nap-inducing caloric intake. Luckily here, at a Domino's in Montgomery County, Maryland, I can get a sense of how many calories I'll be slamming. It's on the menu board.

I'd like a medium pepperoni, please.

That's about 215 calories for a slice. And if one part of the health care laws goes through, I'll be able to see that on the menu at every Domino's in America. The legislation would force restaurant chains with 20 or more locations to clearly post on menus or menu boards the calorie count for each item.

You're telling me how many different ways can you order a pizza?

LYNN LIDDLE, DOMINO'S PIZZA: We've calculated that you can 34 million different iterations of a pizza.

TODD: Lynn Liddle of Domino's is working the halls of Capitol Hill trying to fight off the proposed rule. Pizza execs say with all those ways to order a pizza, a menu board calculation of calories is useless. Liddle and execs from chains like Pizza Hut and Papa John's -- usually oven-hot rivals -- are joining forces against it.

LIDDLE: Most of our customers in pizza stores order online or over the phone. They don't look at a menu board and make their decision that way. So we're not only doing it in a way that's expensive for the small business person, we're doing it in a way that would be too confusing.

TODD: Liddle says they don't want to spend money on menu boards that most customers won't see when ordering. She says it's enough that customers can go online for the information. I chose a hand-tossed crust medium size and add pepperoni. On Domino's calo-meter online, I get the readout. 215 calories, 20 milligrams of cholesterol, 3.5 grams of saturated fat for a slice.

I'm ready to chow down on my medium pepperoni pizza. But before I do, I want to get the guilt trip from Margo Wootan from the Center for Science in the Public Interest. She is a nutrition expert. Margo, why is it so important for me to get the bad news about calories from a menu board in there rather than some other way or ignoring it?

MARGO WOOTAN, CENTER FOR SCIENCE IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST: Well, people are eating out a lot more than in the past. Now we're getting a third of our calories from eating at restaurants and other kinds of retail food establishments. So it's a big part of our diet. And it's a problematic part of our diet. Studies show that eating out is linked to obesity.

TODD: Wootan says there are mixed results from studies in places where there are already calorie labels on menus. She says in those places, like New York City, it's been found that people have used the information to make informed choices to cut calories when they order.

Brian Todd, CNN, Bethesda, Maryland.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Everyone's been talking about this, that school bus monitor verbally abused and taunted by middle school kids. Find out what she's saying about it and if she's received any apologies.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Her name is Karen Klein. You may not recognize the name, but you most likely know her story. She is the Greece, New York, bus monitor, who was bullied on a school bus. A video showing the abuse has gone viral, and a campaign to help her has now raised more than half a million dollars in less than 36 hours. CNN's Randi Kaye went to Klein's hometown and talked to the woman behind the uproar.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The ten-minute video begins with bus monitor Karen Klein in her seat at the back of the bus, surrounded by a small group of seventh graders.

Kid: Oh, my god, you're so fat.

Kid: Dude, you're so fat. You take up like the whole entire seat.

KAYE: The students, all boys, tell Klein, their 68-year-old bus monitor for the Greece Central School District in upstate New York, that she's so fat she'll probably die from diabetes. But it's not just verbal attacks. There are physical threats, too.

Kid: You're a troll. You're a troll. You're a troll. You old troll. Kid: How about I bring my knife and (expletive) cut you? If I stabbed you in the stomach, my knife would go through you like butter 'cause it's all (expletive) lard.

Kid: What's your address so I can freakin' piss all over your door?

KAREN KLEIN, BULLIED BUS MONITOR: I'm not going to tell you.

Kid: I'm going to [expletive] take a crap in your mouth.

KAYE: Klein takes most of it in silence, hardly engaging the kids, except at moments like this.

KLEIN: Unless you have something nice to say, don't say anything at all.

Kid: How about you shut the (expletive) up?

KAYE: While everything these teenagers said was cruel, this comment was the most hurtful of all.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You don't have a family because they all killed themselves because they didn't want to be near you.

KAYE: Karen Klein's son had committed suicide ten years ago. It's unclear if the kids knew about his death. Police tell us the video was recorded by one of the boys involved in the verbal attacks, who then posted it on his Facebook page. From there, it was picked up and posted on YouTube and by Thursday afternoon, it had gone viral with more than 1.6 million hits putting this quiet community of Greece, New York, on the map.

ROSE DIPASQUALE, RESIDENT: I think it's disgusting. Do you know, I raised eight children. If one of my children would have done that, there would be a consequence to this. And I don't care what. But you have to have respect and it starts at home.

KAYE: Just 48 hours after the video was posted online, Klein told me these same students have misbehaved before, but never like this.

(on camera): How were you feeling when they were saying such cruel things to you?

KLEIN: I didn't catch them all. But things I did catch -- I didn't know what to do. I just -- you know. It's one of those things. I didn't know what to do.

KAYE (voice over): Investigators here have interviewed all four boys involved. They may be suspended or expelled from school for a year or possibly even charged with aggravated harassment, menacing or stalking. But for now, this grandmother of eight says she doesn't want to pursue criminal charges. All she wants is an apology.

(on camera): Is there anything that these kids could say that would take away the hurt that they caused you? KLEIN: That they won't do it to anyone else. They thought they were so smart, so smug. You know, maybe wipe the smile off their faces, too. But I cannot see pressing criminal charges.

KAYE: Randi Kaye, CNN, Greece, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)