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Predicting Mitt's Pick; Obama Disagrees with Scouts' Gay Ban; Big Shakeup at Komen Foundation; Fair Trial versus Public Right to Know; New Search in 1979 Etan Patz Mystery; Who Romney Needs to Win; Brutal July Heat in U.S. Sets a Record; U.S. Distance Running Back at Olympics

Aired August 09, 2012 - 09:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you so much. It was such a blast. I mean I could go on and on. But, you know, thanks for that. We'll have a moment to reflect later on in the next hour. Thanks so much. Good to see both of you.

All right. Happening right now in the NEWSROOM, a rescue on the bottom of the world. Breaking overnight, new video of the plane carrying an injured expeditioner arriving from Antarctica. A dramatic and dangerous mission. And a safe ending this morning.

And VP lockdown. Stephen Colbert urging his viewers to edit the Wikipedia pages of the potential veep candidates. The response, huge. This morning a shutdown on new users.

And Komen bombshell. A huge shakeup at the breast cancer foundation, the president stepping down. The founder moving out of management. Did Planned Parenthood funding change Komen's focus from pink to green?

And history on the track. An American breaking a record 44 -- 44 years old, rather. Leo Manzano bringing it in the 1500 meters.

NEWSROOM begins right now.

Good morning, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield in for Carol Costello this morning. We begin with a competition of sorts in the political world. It's called the veepstakes, and any day, we are expecting the answer to this very critical question. Who will Mitt Romney pick?

Let's bring in CNN political editor, Paul Steinhauser.

Paul, one of the men reportedly on Romney's short list, Tim Pawlenty, a familiar name on the trail, says he is, quote, "honored to be considered," but that 2012 is about more than Mitt Romney's number two. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TIM PAWLENTY (R), FORMER MINNESOTA GOVERNOR: The main issue here isn't the VP process or who's going to be VP. The main issue is what do we do to get this country and economy moving again and provide jobs for people. And the VP thing will reveal itself soon enough.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. Pawlenty, Rob Portman, and now Paul Ryan, all part of the speculation. Is there a frontrunner out there that you can reveal for us?

(LAUGHTER)

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Yes, I wish I could. You know, you know, Fred, the only people who really know for sure are Mitt Romney, his wife Ann, and Beth Myers, that's the trusted aide who's leading the search for running mate. And guess what, they're not talking to me or you, or really anybody else. They're very close lipped on this. Very tight lipped on this.

But yes, let's talk about Tim Pawlenty because a lot -- there is a lot of speculation about him. Former governor of Minnesota, remember he ran against Mitt Romney last year for the GOP presidential nomination. His name comes up a lot. And I think, you know, a lot of people think that he would be a very good fit with Mitt Romney.

Also Rob Portman, the senator from Ohio. Here's another name that comes up a lot. And both people consider both Portman and Pawlenty very safe picks, smart picks, that would not outshine Mitt Romney. Of course, Ohio is such a crucial battleground state as well.

And the other name that comes up, Paul Ryan, the House Budget chairman from Wisconsin, another important battleground state. In fact, the "Wall Street Journal" today, their editorial page, and Fred, you know very influential with conservatives, they urged Romney to go bold and choose Ryan.

Of course, Ryan known for his budget plan which conservatives loved. Could be a problem, though, with moderates and independents.

You heard Pawlenty just a few minutes ago, moments ago, you played that sound, saying it's really not about the running mate. But what do Americans think? Take a look at this recent poll from last month from CBS/"New York Times" asking how important is that choice. That running mate choice. About a quarter of people said, you know, what, it's -- it matters a lot to me.

Almost half said the choice matter somewhat and you can see at the bottom about 1 in 4 people said, it really doesn't matter who the running mate is. It matters who at the top of the ticket, not the bottom, Fred.

WHITFIELD: OK. But, you know, there is some importance on the timing of all of this. You know, it seems, as though, you know, this has taken an awful long time, or perhaps not. We are just a couple of weeks away from the convention so what's the strategy here behind the Romney camp?

STEINHAUSER: Yes, timing does matter. We are about 2 1/2 weeks away now from the start of the Republican convention in Tampa. There's a lot of speculation on when. You know, you look at recent years, recent cycles, most of the picks came, most of the announcements came just before the convention.

Back in 2004, John Kerry named John Edwards about three weeks before the convention. That was the earliest. Lately they've been a lot closer to convention time. The Olympics end on Sunday. So then we're two weeks away. I guess the media attention will be focused on Mitt Romney. He starts a four-day bus tour this weekend. We'll see, Fred. Stay tuned.

WHITFIELD: All right. We'll all be watching as you will, too. Thanks so much. Paul Steinhauser, appreciate that.

All right. President Obama is agreeing with Mitt Romney on at least one controversial issue. Both oppose the Boy Scouts' ban on gay members. Every U.S. president since 1910 has been the honorary president of the Boy Scouts. President Obama did not comment on that point, but our Carol Costello talked to a former Eagle Scout about that issue.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Do you think President Obama ought to remain the honorary president of the Boy Scouts?

MARTIN CIZMAR, RETURNED EAGLE SCOUT MEDAL: I think he should look at it after November and think about it. I think that there are bigger issues for the country to address right now than that. But I think it's something that he and other politicians who accept awards from the Boy Scouts should think very seriously about.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And White House correspondent Dan Lothian is at the White House. Joining us now.

So, Dan, what's with the timing of this matter? You know, last week, the DNC approved language endorsing same-sex marriage. Now it could become an official party platform. Are they related in any way?

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, all of these announcements really play to the president's base. And that's important in the upcoming election. You remember just back in May the president finally sort of evolved on this issue of gay marriage coming out in support of gay marriage saying that everyone should be treated fairly. And that as you pointed out, it now seems likely that gay marriage will be part of the Democrats' platform at the upcoming convention. So again, this is something that plays to the president's base. And that's at least for Democrats and for the president critical in this very, very tight race.

But as you pointed out, you know, the Boy Scouts have been debating this issue for the last couple of years. But only yesterday did the president come out on this issue. While he was out in Colorado campaigning, and -- actually the announcement was made in statement form by a White House official saying that the president opposes discrimination in all forms.

While they went on to praise the organization as building character, as helping young boys, the statement went on to say that the president opposes this policy that discriminates on the basis of sexual orientation. So I think when you put it into the context of everything else that the president and the White House and Democrats have been supporting, I don't think there was any surprise here -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Dan Lothian at the White House. Thanks so much.

All right. Now let's turn to a major shakeup at a charity that has come to embody the fight against breast cancer. Over the past 30 years, the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation has raised nearly $2 billion. Well, much of it through its signature pink ribbon events like "Race for the Cure." But turnout has fallen since the group pulled its funding from Planned Parenthood. A national firestorm both for and against led to the funding being restored.

Alison Kosik is here to break it all down for us.

So, Alison, the group says the national outcry is not why its founder and CEO are leaving their posts, but clearly there is a lot of money at stake, isn't there?

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Oh, you said it. You know, there is a lot of money at stake, Fredricka. And it's not just money in this. It's also the foundation's reputation that's at stake.

I mean, think about it. For any business, if you're any business out there, the image that you project is extremely important. That's really what helps to drive your revenue growth.

Now the "Wall Street Journal" says that Susan G. Komen is already raising less money because of that Planned Parenthood controversy. And this management shakeup that's in -- in the works right now could really wind up going either way. It could either throw another wrench into things or it could be a good thing. You know a sign of a new beginning.

Now Nancy Brinker, she actually founded the -- the organization and she's the CEO. She's stepping down as CEO when a successor is found. Now she's going to stick around with the organization. She's going to have a new management role. She'll handle revenue creation, growth and strategy.

Now president, Elizabeth Thompson, she is leaving next month. Also two board members are leaving so it really looks like Susan G. Komen is cleaning house.

But Brinker told the "Wall Street Journal" that these changes have nothing to do with -- with the controversy over Planned Parenthood. She said this change is natural -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much. I'm sure there's going to be much more that will be revealed in the coming days on this.

Alison Kosik, appreciate that.

All right. The man accused in the Colorado theater massacre is expected back in court in just about five hours today. But it will be the news media taking center stage, not defendant James Holmes. Major news organizations want the judge to unseal documents citing the public's right to know.

Kyung Lah is outside the courthouse.

So, Kyung, with us now what type of documents are we talking about, specifically?

KYUNG LAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We're talking about the actual court filings, Fredricka. What has been filed with the court. Normally in a criminal proceeding, it's actually viewable by the public, viewable by the media, and that's something that simply has not been accessible.

The other thing that's really at stake here, what the media lawyers are saying, is that this is overreach by the judge. Because what the judge did is not just take court documents under seal but then ask that the documents related to James Holmes at the University of Colorado that that also be sealed as well.

So the media here is going to argue that there's no clear and present danger that access here should become public and should become viewable by not just the press but also the victims of this community.

WHITFIELD: So, Kyung, this is a difficult quandary for the judge because the judge has to balance a defendant's right to a fair trial, and at the same time, you know, respect the fair freedom of information that would be compelled by this whole release of documents.

LAH: He's got to listen to all the arguments here. Again, the media is going to say that there is no clear and present danger, that this is overreach by the judge. That this is an area especially when it comes to the University of Colorado is usually falls under the Colorado Open Records Act. That this is something that normally people can get access to.

And that's the way that the judge -- that the judge should behave. But what you're going to hear from the defendant's -- the defense attorney as well as the prosecutor is that what they don't want is too much pretrial publicity, that these documents should remain so that there could be a fair trial and witnesses don't get tainted as well.

WHITFIELD: OK. And of course we know that the prosecutors' argument is going to be that, you know, releasing this kind of information might compromise the criminal investigation. But haven't police already said publicly that Holmes acted alone, that they are not investigating other suspects?

LAH: You're right. But what we're also expecting to hear is that what they don't want is that these court filings then affect witness testimony in a criminal proceeding. That maybe some of this information becomes public, and then that will affect witnesses and what their memory of the event is. And so that's some of what we're expecting to hear as well.

WHITFIELD: All right. All right, you know, Kyung, I'm going to give you one more question. You know, if, if the issue and the concern is about a fair trial, the court and the lawyers could do more. I mean perhaps they could just stop talking and, you know, try and ask that there be this, you know, order that the media would be left out of it. There would be a gag order.

LAH: There are a number of options before the court. And take a look at some of them. The court has several options. They could expand the number of people in the jury pool. The court could also allow for extensive questioning of potential jurors by the lawyers as well as seeking a change of venue if there's simply too much pretrial publicity. If the judge does see that and deem that, they could -- he could order a change of venue. So there are other options here for the court.

WHITFIELD: All right. Lots on the table. Thanks so much, Kyung Lah. Appreciate that.

All right. His disappearance rattled a nation and has stumped police for decades. But today we may finally be closer to some answers in the landmark case.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Checking our top stories.

This week's fire at a major Chevron refinery in California is expected to send gas prices skyrocketing, along the West Coast and possibly nationwide. Refining and delivery problems in the Midwest are also driving up prices.

A rescue medical team arrives in New Zealand with an ill patient from a U.S. research station in Antarctica. The patient believed to be an American, in stable condition and possibly needing corrective surgery.

And tropical storm Ernesto is strengthening off of Mexico's Caribbean coast. Forecasters expect it to become a hurricane again before making landfall tonight. Heavy rains could trigger flash floods and mudslides across parts of Mexico.

All right. Now, let's turn to a mystery that has haunted New York for decades, and forever changed how the nation searches for its missing children. After Etan Patz vanished on his way to school back in 1979, he became one of the first missing children to be featured on a milk carton.

Well, there were few answers in his case until this spring, when a man allegedly confessed to killing him. Now police are again scouring the building where the suspect once worked, looking for Etan's remains and some long awaited closure for his parents.

Susan Candiotti is joining us from New York. She's been covering this for a long time now.

Give us more information on the latest details about the search and the investigation.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Fred.

You know, we've heard virtually nothing about this case since last May when this man, Pedro Hernandez, was arrested after he allegedly confessed to murdering Etan Patz. And then we found out that authorities have been back to the bodega where this man claims that he murdered the little boy more than 30 years ago after luring him to the basement of a bodega. That's a convenience store. And again, this would have been decades ago.

Remember police have found no physical evidence to link Pedro Hernandez to the murder of Etan Patz. But we found out now that they were back at that bodega looking again just last month and again yesterday. We saw that they used shovels. They had a shovel down there and they removed at least five large paper bags from that basement.

They are not saying exactly what they are looking for, and several sources tell me that this is simply part of an ongoing investigation, that nothing new prompted them to go down into the basement and look -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: So Pedro Hernandez. When he is expected back in court?

CANDIOTTI: Well, he is expected back in court in October. You might recall that after he was arrested this never reached the grand jury stage. Again, there is no physical evidence linking him to the crime. But we do know that he was being treated over the years for various mental disorders, and that he was -- they are doing a competency exam. That is not complete as I understand it.

But he is due in court in October to go over some issues to see where the case stands and whether police are going to continue to move forward with it.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much, Susan Candiotti, for keeping us posted on that case.

All right. We're going to talk Olympics coming up. U.S. women's soccer aiming for gold. The Americans take on Japan today in a rematch of last year's World Cup. We'll take you to London for a preview.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Let's talk Olympic Games now.

There's been a lot of back and forth with the name Oscar Pistorius. Now, apparently, he is back in the race. The double amputee and his South African relay team are in the four-by-four finals.

Our Zain Verjee is following the breaking news out of London.

So, Zain, tell us about this appeal that the South Africans won. It seems as though everybody was onboard for a long time, that Pistorius could run. What's going on now?

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Well, there's a little bit of drama going on, and we're trying to follow all the different angles and developments going on here, Fred. Basically, it was the 4x400 relay that was going on at the stadium behind me. What happened is that there was some kind of collision between a South African runner and a Kenyan runner. And the result of that was that the South African fell to the ground, and apparently dislocated his shoulder. So he stayed on the ground. Everybody else ran ahead. Passing the baton and doing the relay.

And it was supposed to be handed to Oscar Pistorius, who was going to make history, even just running it. And he ended up just standing there, not getting it. He fell on the ground, sank to his knees, and put his hands on his head was just like, oh, my God, I can't believe this.

Then after the race, there was this big appeal by the Kenyans and the South Africans. We got a statement a short while ago from the jury of appeal, and they said that they advanced the South African team to the final even though they did not finish the race because they had, quote, "been severely damaged in the incident with Kenya".

Pistorius himself sent a little tweet out a short while ago and said, "It's on. We are in the final. And we are in lane 9."

So it seems as though the Kenyans did something in that collision, and they were disqualified, and the South Africans and Oscar Pistorius amazingly are now in the finals and has a chance to win a medal.

WHITFIELD: That's an amazing second chance. It doesn't usually unfold that way.

VERJEE: No, it doesn't. Everyone was completely horrified. They didn't even get to see him run. He was so dismayed, he goes in another tweet, he wrote, "I can't believe it. With everyone's support back home, I'm not even going to run. And then there was this 180, and this decision that was taken, that has him back in. So, yes, we'll get to watch him run.

WHITFIELD: That is very lucky to be able to advance to the finals even with that kind of collision.

All right. Let's talk about the U.S. women's soccer team now going for the gold, and kind of going out for revenge too.

VERJEE: Yes. This is all about revenge, Fredricka. I spoke to the press officer a short while ago who said that the U.S. team is feeling good, feeling strong, and looking forward to the game. They're going to be playing Japan, who they lost to, back at the World Cup in 2011. So they have got something to prove here.

The U.S. team is very strong. They play a very direct game. The Japanese like to keep possession and play a much more technical game.

But if the U.S. wins, it would be five gold medals out of six Olympic Games. So we hope they win. And they only I think lost to Norway in Sydney. That was it.

WHITFIELD: Oh my goodness!

VERJEE: So the stadium at Wembley is totally packed, 82,000 people are going to be in that stadium, and that's the biggest crowd ever to watch a women's soccer/football match here in this country.

WHITFIELD: Oh, that's going to be really exciting.

VERJEE: Where are you?

WHITFIELD: I know.

VERJEE: You didn't call me.

WHITFIELD: I'm so sorry that we couldn't catch up. I had no idea trying to keep up with my dad would be as busy as it was. But we were -- I did get a chance to see your post where you are, because we were sitting at one point just over your left shoulder there in the stadium. And so I at least kind of gave you a big shout out and a wave, hey, Zain, from afar but I'm sorry we didn't actually physically get together.

But you and I are going to talk a little bit later on in the next hour.

VERJEE: I know you had more interesting plans than to meet up with me.

WHITFIELD: Well, I wouldn't say it was more interesting. I did want to get you in there, but it was interesting nonetheless. We'll talk again in the next hour. Thanks so much.

We'll find another opportunity to get together face-to-face, though. It will happen.

All right. Zain Verjee in London there at the Olympic Park.

All right. Less than three months in counting until the presidential election. And in the next few days, we could know who will be Mitt Romney's running mate. Our political panel weighs in on his potential choices.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Stories we're watching right now in THE NEWSROOM:

Syria's embattled government is ratcheting its assault on Aleppo, the nation's largest city. Rebels say helicopter gunships are pounding residential neighborhoods. The White House says all options are still open, including a no fly zone that would help rebel fighters.

Meanwhile, a peaceful transition for a government toppled in the Arab uprising. Libya is now in the hands of its general nation Congress, the latest step towards democracy since last year's ouster of Moammar Gadhafi. It's the country's first peaceful transfer of power in more than 40 years.

In Germany, same-sex couples get a big boost from the nation's constitutional court. It rules couples in registered partnerships can get the same tax benefits as a married man and woman. Outside the court, citizens and politicians are still locked in a bitter debate.

All right. To U.S. politics now. And unless you just completely unplugged from the world, you know that Mitt Romney is close to announcing his running mate. And if you didn't know, well, team Romney is working hard this week to make sure that you do know.

On Tuesday, the Republican candidate's official Twitter account page urged followers to download the special app that promises supporters will be the first to know. Romney's wife Ann following up on Tuesday tweeted the announcement is, quote, "coming soon".

And in a fundraising email, Romney's son, Craig, says, "I can't wait to find out who dad will choose as his running mate. Even I haven't been able to get so much as a hint out of him."

All right. So here to help us read the V.P. tea leaves, our CNN contributor Roland Martin. He is leaning to the left. And John Avlon, also a CNN contributor, as well as senior columnist for "Newsweek" and "The Daily Beast".

Good to see both of you.

ROLAND MARTIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Likewise.

WHITFIELD: John is an independent. You're kind of in the middle then? So no leaning?

JOHN AVLON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes.

MARTIN: He's actually like on a swivel.

WHITFIELD: OK. Very good.

All right. John, let's begin with you. So, we've heard several names so far. Romney is under some pressure to kind of go bold, but at the same time, I guess some kind of familiarity is going to be important.

What names do you like?

AVLON: Sure. Yes. But the conservatives (INAUDIBLE) definitely in the last couple of days have been amping up their pressure on the Romney camp to go bold, to go big. The names they have been pushing are Paul Ryan in particular, Marco Rubio, Chris Christie.

And the thing is that Mitt Romney, by all accounts, as a businessman and as a politician, seems to be very risk averse. He's traditionally conservative. And the first test of a V.P. nominee is first to do no harm.

So the question is whether he'll go with a safer candidate. He's got a clear electoral benefit like a Rob Portman of Ohio or Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota, whether he's going to listen to these voices encouraging to go big, to really excite the base.

But the last time the GOP tried a game changer, it didn't work out too well. So the Palin shadow is hanging over the process as well.

MARTIN: Well, Fredricka, bold and Mitt Romney do not go together. Let's just be honest, OK? So more like boring.

Look, the most important thing that he has to do is pick a vice president who is ready day one. In 2008, Senator John McCain chose Governor Sarah Palin, and he took away his biggest argument against then-Senator Obama, and that is the question of experience.

So the last thing Mitt Romney wants to do is to pick somebody who can be torn apart as to whether or not they are ready to lead the country just in case anything happens to Romney if he is elected president. That is the most important thing. Not satisfying the right. Not satisfying any other constituency. Is that person ready to lead?

WHITFIELD: So when you say ready day one, though, might the Romney camp think that could potentially upstage Mitt Romney? Because all these names on the list -- yes, there's familiarity. You know, some would dispute whether some of them are bold. But ready day one, none of them really have the kind of experience, executive office experience, anyway.

So won't it be -- won't it really be kind of a test whether anybody is really ready day one?

MARTIN: Well, first of all, if you look at then-Senator Obama, the time he spent in the United States Senate previously, it was a question of governors. And so, there are some people who are on the list who have been CEOs of states. But again, does that person have the background?

When Obama chose then-Senator Joe Biden, look at his foreign policy experience, 30-plus years in the United States senate. That speaks to a level of qualifications. That's what I mean.

What Romney cannot afford is to go through two, three months of attacking his V.P. choice as not being ready, that would take away -- because this is the biggest decision Romney will make prior to the election.

WHITFIELD: OK. You know, John, what are the characteristics that need to be in that vice presidential pick? We were talking about Tim Pawlenty, Rob Portman, Paul Ryan, Marco Rubio, Chris Christie, you know, magnetic would be one. But then again, the fear of upstaging, you know, Mitt Romney.

What are the characteristics that any of these names -- and even Bobby Jindal -- kind of share? Is there a common denominator?

AVLON: You know, I mean, this is actually a pretty diverse group that's being talked about in the consideration set -- reasonably diverse in terms of age and even background to some extend.

Here's the thing, I think Roland is right. The number one characteristic, I mean, you can't make this process from a position of insecurity, will they upstage me. The real question, and the only question that matters at the end of the day, constitutionally to the American people, is can this person be president? And whoever they pick has to fit that.

And I think Roland touched on something also that's very important. One of the key arguments that Mitt Romney is making in this election si confidence and executive ability. And so, that does indicate that he should get one that's been an executive on a statewide level rather than someone who perhaps has just served in Congress.

But I do think that's going to be the kind of criteria. What kind of message do you want to send? V.P. picks do matter. It sends an enormous signal about the qualities of presidential judgment that a potential candidate could have and that's the key question here.

WHITFIELD: All right. John Avlon and Roland Martin, always good to see both of you whether you're in a swivel chair or one that leans one way or another or not.

(LAUGHTER)

MARTIN: Thanks so much.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much.

All right. He is a seven-time Grammy winner with more than 20 million records sold. A familiar name, familiar face. But now, country singer Randy Travis is having more public struggles with alcohol. We've got details on his latest arrest.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It may seem obvious, but now there's scientific proof. A recent study finds that people are more likely to have strong healthy hearts if they live in a neighborhood that promotes a healthy lifestyle.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel totally safe running up and down these streets.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's a healthy grocery store in the neighborhood.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can play football out here. They have a basketball court.

COHEN: It helps if residents feel safe and have please ability places to walk. Having sidewalks and easy access to parks and trails also gets people moving.

Neighborhood grocery stores with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables and healthy restaurants that are within walking distance can make it easier to stick to a healthy diet.

Heart healthy people are more likely to have normal blood pressure and cholesterol levels and be at a healthy weight.

DR. SUSMITA PARASHAR, EMORY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: They don't smoke. They exercise on a regular basis. About 150 minutes in a week of moderate exercise. And they consume fresh fruits and vegetables in their diet.

COHEN: If you're planning a move in the near future, factor in the health benefits of a healthy neighborhood.

With this week's "Health for Her", I'm Elizabeth Cohen.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Real life is starting to sound like a bit of a broken record for country singer Randy Travis. Travis, who pleaded no contest to public intoxication after this year's Super Bowl, has again been arrested and accused of DWI.

Entertainment correspondent Nischelle Turner is joining me now from Los Angeles.

Nischelle, good to see you.

NISCHELLE TURNER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Travis is not just accused of driving while intoxicated but also threatening officers. Give us more details on that.

TURNER: Yes, you know what? This is actually a pretty serious and really interesting story here. This happened late Tuesday after police found him naked, smelling apparently of alcohol and lying on a remote stretch of highway in northern Texas just after midnight.

Now, authorities say they were responding to a concerned caller who saw a man lying in the roadway. The Texas highway patrol tells CNN Travis was driving his black 1998 Pontiac Trans Am.

When the vehicle drove off the north side of a two-lane highway just west of Cayuga, that's where he lived, and struck several barricades in a construction zone. Now, police say he was the only occupant in the car. They also say while in custody, he threatened to shoot and kill the troopers on the case.

So, not only is he being charged with public intoxication and a misdemeanor DWI, he's also facing felony retaliation charges. Now, the question, Fred, on a lot of people's minds and that they are asking right now is what happened to his clothes? In the arrest video released by police, he is dressed in something, but police say, you know, he didn't have anything on at all or any ID on him when they found him.

And Travis, who is now out on bond, by the way, had to reportedly be given one of those paper suits, you know, to wear.

WHITFIELD: Oh, this is humiliating.

TURNER: Yes, yes.

WHITFIELD: I feel so sorry for him. You can't -- and then just to look at the misery in the photograph there, too, because that will live on forever no matter, you know, what recovery or -- whatever happens after that.

All right. Meantime, let's talk about another big name in Hollywood -- Rihanna. But this isn't something that is in any way scandalous. Instead, this is really about a parting of the ways between she and the skin care line Nivea. Or is there a story behind it?

TURNER: Well, you know, that's kind of being fleshed out right now, because there are reports out that Rihanna and Nivea parted ways because the brand thought she was just too sexy, but that's not what they are telling us today. In a statement to CNN, Nivea said they only planned to work with Rihanna during 2011 to celebrate the brand's 100th anniversary, and that basically this is just a natural parting of the ways.

They specifically said that reports of the company firing her now based on points of view expressed in recent media interviews are erroneous. And basically what they said, Fred, was she had a one-year contract. At the end of the year, we decided not to continue.

WHITFIELD: So deal is up. Simple as that.

TURNER: Basically.

WHITFIELD: OK. That's what they're saying, that's what we have to go with it. Thanks so much.

TURNER: That's their story, and they are sticking to it.

WHITFIELD: OK. Good. All right. You're going to be back, there's more, next hour with showbiz headlines, including, we'll be talking about the latest stop in Madonna's Russian revolution. No stranger to controversy, she kind of sometimes stirs it up just coz I think.

Nischelle, you have more details on that coming up.

All right. The keyword this summer, chill. That's because some places have been sweating through some pretty oppressive heat, and it turns out July was a record breaker.

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WHITFIELD: All right, it turns out we put up with record-breaking heat in July. Those wilted crops and destructive wildfires happened during what the government said was the hottest month on record. The average temperature across the lower 48 was 77.6 degrees and shattered the record set in 1936 by more than three degrees.

Meteorologist Alexandria Steele is joining me now. 2012 is heading towards the warmest and the driest on record as well. I think everybody can, you know, attest to that -- it's been hot. It's summer.

ALEXANDRIA STEELE, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. Meteorologists got a lot of play this past month, right?

WHITFIELD: Yes.

STEELE: Certainly did. So that's right. Government coming out with the new stats as of last night. And it is the hottest and it was July 2012 the hottest month we have ever seen since records began in 1895, usurping the old record from July in the dust bowl era of the 1930s.

So - but how did we get there, right? Let's look at this map. The entire country for the most part has well above and was well above for the month of July temperatures. In Virginia, they had their hottest July ever recorded. But take a look at some of these numbers -- 118. So incredible temperatures -- 118. They broke a record from 118 years.

The Dakotas breaking temperature records from 117 years. So pretty dramatic, no question about that. But believe it or not we've talked so much about the heat, how about a little cold front? We are going to see one. So cool down coming for places that have not seen cold front or cooler air in about a month. So we're going to see temperatures drop about 10 degrees below average. And they certainly haven't done that. They have been 15 degrees to 20 degrees above average.

But they will do so at a price this coming weekend and even beginning now we are going to see some severe storms from Green Bay all the way to Cleveland. So from Michigan to Illinois, Indiana, temperatures dropping. But again this front moving through, firing off some storms.

So in the next 48 hours, will we see rain, right? They have been begging for rain. We've talked so much about the drought the potential for even two to four inches for some of these isolated areas. It won't do much for the corn crop, that's pretty much a fait accompli but that rain may settle the dust around. So certainly it will be good news. No question about that.

All right, so also what we're going to talk about as we head toward the next kind of hour or so, some really interesting things happening in the Antarctic. So we'll talk about that a little bit later. We'll talk about how cold it's been. And even there it has been a little mild. But temperatures are certainly very relative. That's for sure.

WHITFIELD: Yes and timely to talk about that because we're also talking about the rescue, the relief effort being carried out there to get one person out of there who is in great need of medical care.

So in the meantime, back to this really hot summer. Does this mean this is kind of a prelude to what will be a very drawn out summer, meaning we're not going to have much of a fall? Or does it say something about the winter we can expect?

STEELE: Well, it's really hard to kind of extrapolate kind of a day, a week, a month to what will happen.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

STEELE: But certainly as we look towards the models, as we look towards kind of August and September and October, where temperatures go, the tendency certainly is for them to be above average. Wet conditions won't see it. It looks as though it will be drier than average.

And you certainly know the heat begets heat, the drought begets drought. And it's really a cycle that we've seen. So I mean, as we look toward October, temperatures still stay warm.

But you know we've also talked a little bit about the tropics and of course we've talked about Ernesto. Making land fall, emerging into the bay of the warm waters of the bay of Campeche, making land fall again.

And also though now what we're going to look at, tropical storm Gordon perhaps and the Hurricane Center saying there will be a 70 percent chance we could see this become our next tropical storm. So maybe Gordon will be on our lips instead of Ernesto.

WHITFIELD: All right, tropical storm Gordon, get ready -- get ready to get used to that name. All right, thanks so much Alexandria. I appreciate it.

STEELE: Yes.

WHITFIELD: All right. The Mississippi River also suffering in this record-breaking heat. And beginning tomorrow morning at 9:00 Eastern Time, our own Martin Savidge will be live at the water's edge to show you the drought impact up and down that river.

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WHITFIELD: All right, when you think of long distance running you think of Kenyans, Ethiopians but a U.S. Olympian may change your mind. Leo Manzano won silver in the 1,500 meters Tuesday. He's the first U.S. medal winner in that event since 1968.

Manzano also has a compelling personal story coming to the U.S. from Mexico with his family when he was just four years old. Leo Manzano joining us now from London as a Mexican-American. And we say that because you were waving both flags, the U.S. and the Mexican flag. Congratulations on your medal win.

LEO MANZANO, U.S. OLYMPIC RUNNER: Fredricka thank you so much. I -- I'm super excited and just thrilled to be here.

WHITFIELD: Oh fantastic.

Well, give me an idea of what that moment was like. I got a chance to see the prelims of the 1,500 meters before making it back to the states. And you know from every country, from Ethiopia dominating these earlier heats, how did you go into this final? What were you thinking about strategy? What were you thinking about how to try and dominate this race?

MANZANO: Yes, ma'am. The biggest thing is I just had to be confident in myself. I had to prepare myself mentally and physically; probably one of the toughest races that I've ever been. I know a lot of you think it was slow, but believe it or not, where I was, it felt like we were going extremely fast.

And especially after the bell lap when the last 400 meters, we started going. The pace really picked up.

WHITFIELD: I'm telling you, it was amazing being in the stands and watching and thinking to myself, wait a minute, this is a 1,500- meter. People are running. You all were running as if it were a sprint, a 200-meter or a 400-meter.

You know, the race has changed considerably over the years. You were attacking that track and what was it -- five -- almost seven laps. You were attacking it as though it is a sprint. What's the strategy?

MANZANO: Yes, ma'am. Well, the thing about the 1,500 meters, it's actually -- the perfect combination of distance running and also a sprint. So you definitely have to have some speed but you also have to have the endurance and strength to be able to push yourself through that type of race. My strategy was just to stay focused. Not to lose control and maintain as much energy as I could and let everybody else really make their move and I mean it really was kind of like a chess game. And I just really tried to lay back and just really stay calm.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness. You discovered your passion of running in high school. What came together for you where you said, you know what? My pursuit is going to be about being an Olympian?

MANZANO: Yes, ma'am. Well, it really started in high school. And in high school, I've always had this -- it was kind of a dream in the back of my mind that I wanted to go to the Olympics. It especially started after I started winning a couple races. I was a nine-time state champion as a high schooler.

And so that really inspired me to keep continuing and keep growing. I obtained -- I obtained a scholarship at the University of Texas. Ran there for four years. And that really, bumped me up and gave me that burst to really pursue track and field. And the next thing you know, I made the 2008 team and again the 2012 team. Here I am.

WHITFIELD: Oh my goodness. There you are. Well, congratulations. And really quick, before I let you go. Give me an idea of the emotions that were bubbling up inside you when you had that silver medal around your neck on that medal stand.

MANZANO: It was incredible. It was incredible and I was -- and it's an honor and a privilege to be able to represent the U.S.

WHITFIELD: Congratulations. Leo Manzano, fantastic run and making your place in history. Congrats.

MANZANO: Thank you very much.

WHITFIELD: Safe travels back home.

All right. The next hour of the "CNN NEWSROOM" is just moments away.

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