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CNN Live Today
Seven-Year-Old Boy Finishes Historic Swim; Polls Show Most Americans Aren't Prepared for Disasters; Hurricane Predictions
Aired May 22, 2006 - 10:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, we are watching this young man -- actually, he's a boy. This is San Francisco Bay, and in the middle of that little pack of swimmers is 7-year-old Braxton Bilbrey from Arizona. He decided he wanted to become one of the youngest swimmers ever to go from Alcatraz Island to San Francisco.
Now, back in the day when there were real prisoners at Alcatraz, this was a good thing to do so you could escape. But why a 7-year-old boy wants to get in the water, which is, I think, in the 50s, and do this? He's a determined young man.
The other swimmers you see in the water with him are his coach and two other strong adult swimmers. So -- he is also being monitored by a Coast Guard aircraft.
He took off within the hour. And from this shot right now we can't tell how close he is to shore, but he is plugging away.
Chad Myers watching this with us.
Chad, this is not like going for a swim in the backyard pool.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: No, because you have currents. I mean, you have other things in the water and so on.
KAGAN: Like sharks.
MYERS: Yes, for one. But the water is 56 degrees there in the bay right where he's swimming. If you get closer to Oakland and East Bay, the water temperatures are up into the lower 60s, because obviously the sunshine -- water doesn't flow back and forth in and out like it does right here where he's swimming.
I did see a wider shot for a moment. He's probably a good -- still maybe another 300 or 400 yards to one of the piers that sticks out, one of the little breakwaters. I don't know what his ultimate destination is. I'm assuming he's probably going to try to get all the way to the shore and not just hang on to one of those breakwaters and say he made it, because if he's this far now, you might want to keep that guy's name put in your wallet somewhere for probably the 2016 Olympics or something, because there he goes.
KAGAN: Braxton Bilbrey. That's a hard one to forget.
MYERS: Yes. KAGAN: Yes. And I guess he saw an article, a magazine article about a kid last year who was the whopping old age of 9 years old who did this.
MYERS: Nine, right.
KAGAN: And he decided he wanted to do it, too.
MYERS: Well, you know, they do plan on the currents, they do plan on the tides. So obviously, unlike if you don't have any information, you really could get pulled right out through the Golden Gate, past the Presidio. But these guys know what they're doing. This was all a very, very well planned event for him.
And congratulations to him, although he's not there yet. Certainly if you can pull out a little bit you could really see the shore by now. So that's great.
KAGAN: Yes. We're getting these pictures from our affiliate, KGO.
MYERS: Yes.
KAGAN: So we're at the mercy of them.
Hey, while we watch Braxton go for his dream, how about what could be a nightmare, the upcoming hurricane season that we're expecting this briefing to come from south Florida?
MYERS: Yes, when all these guys wear suits, that's a bad thing.
KAGAN: Yes. That's kind of ominous.
MYERS: Yes. When we get to Max Mayfield, we'll actually listen to what Max is saying.
KAGAN: Yes. And max isn't quite up yet. What -- and you told us what to listen for earlier. Water temperature?
MYERS: We're looking for anomalies for water temperature. Is the water now warmer or colder than normal?
And I was just looking at some of the computer projections and some of the actual scans from some of the satellites. Some of the water off North Carolina is very cold. Anywhere from about Savannah all the way up to the outer banks, very cold, three to four degrees below where it should be.
KAGAN: Is that a good or bad thing?
MYERS: That's really good news.
KAGAN: OK.
MYERS: That's great news for the people in North Carolina, because now if a storm does track into that area, it won't have really hot water to work with yet. But obviously we're still really, really early in the season. A lot of time for that water to warm up.
KAGAN: And the wind currents, was that the other thing that...
MYERS: Wind, yes. Is there going to be shear coming off Africa or possibly coming across Central America? That wind shear can break the tops off the storms.
A hurricane wants to be just all by itself with no wind. It wants to generate its own wind. When you get wind blowing the thunderstorm tops off, the storm tilts. You don't get an eye, and the storm doesn't get as strong. So that's another thing.
You've got El Nino, La Nina. Is there warm water out here, is there cold water out here? A factor of about seven things.
We are expecting the snow still to be in that sinusoidal multidecadal higher area. I can't believe I even said that on national TV.
Nine out of the last 11 years have been above normal. We do expect this will probably be above normal as well.
KAGAN: Easy for you to say.
MYERS: I know.
KAGAN: I would say. But it really wasn't. And we won't even...
MYERS: Six years of college down the drain.
KAGAN: We won't ask you to spell it. How about that?
MYERS: All right. Fair enough.
KAGAN: It's only Monday.
MYERS: Yes.
KAGAN: OK. Well, as you said, we're waiting for the big guy, Max Mayfield, to step up to the mic. And when he does, we will go back to south Florida.
But meanwhile, whether it's a new hurricane season on the horizon, ready or not, here it comes. Polls showing most American are not prepared for disaster, whether it's natural or manmade. So there's this massive campaign that's been launched to get you moving.
Our homeland security correspondent, Jeanne Meserve, explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To be in good health, be (INAUDIBLE) every day. January, February, March.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Akadi Friedman (ph) prepares before he plunging into the frigid waters of Brighton Beach. This is one of New York's most vulnerable neighborhoods if a hurricane strikes. But is Fridman preparing for that? No way.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Katrina, New Orleans and New York is big difference.
MESERVE: Fridman is from Russia, like many people in this neighborhood. So the city's commissioner of emergency management is using Russian-language radio to preach the gospel of hurricane preparedness.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So if we tell you to evacuate, you should evacuate.
MESERVE: Despite outreach efforts like this, despite $532 million worth of free media for preparedness messages, despite $1.9 billion hits on the federal government's ready campaign Web site, despite September 11th, despite Katrina, some surveys show two-thirds of Americans have done nothing to prepare for natural disasters or terrorism.
PEGGY CONLON, PRESIDENT AND CEO, AD COUNCIL: People put up a lot of emotional roadblocks. They will say, it's never going to happen to me. Or if something catastrophic happens, it's outside of my ability to prepare for everything.
MESERVE: Because first responders are likely to be overwhelmed in a catastrophe, officials say Americans must prepare to take care of themselves.
GEORGE FORESMAN, UNDERSECRETARY FOR PREPAREDNESS: Until the citizens are ready, this nation is not going to be safe and secure.
UNIDENTIFIED SINGERS: Buckle up. Buckle up for safety. Always buckle up.
MESERVE: It took 20 years for the public to absorb the message to buckling seat belts. Twenty years is to long, officials say, to make preparedness the norm. The Ad Council has done extensive research, hoping to motivate people without scaring them.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The farther we get away from 9/11, the less relevant a terrorism-focused message is.
MESERVE: Its latest public service spots target those most likely to respond. Parents.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If the phone doesn't work, how will I tell you I'm there?
MESERVE: Different images and themes are used to reach the Spanish speaking audience. But critics say that government preparedness campaigns give conflicting advice, are underfunded and are just not urgent enough.
DR. IRWIN REDLENER, NATIONAL CENTER FOR DISASTER PREPAREDNESS: People keep talking about this as, you know, wake-up calls of 9/11 and Katrina. They're really more like snooze alarms. You know, we get alerted and aroused and very intense for a little while and then we sort of drift back off.
MESERVE: This family is pulling together vital supplies, a show and tell for the ready Web site. Ultimately, officials say, each and every citizen must take responsibility to do things like this, to get ready or else.
Jeanne Meserve, CNN, Brighton Beach, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: From that beach to the other coast, the West Coast, San Francisco Bay, getting very close to that pier. We're watching 7- year-old Braxton Bilbrey attempting to become one of the youngest people ever to swim from Alcatraz Island to San Francisco. He's been going for about an hour now.
Chad was watching along with us, telling us that water is only about in the 50s.
MYERS: Yes, 56, Daryn. He's doing really well there. I assume he's probably over there by Fisherman's Wharf, although I don't recognize that pier.
Do you?
KAGAN: Well, no. And I don't think it's one that you can necessarily go out on.
MYERS: Maybe not. Maybe not. But obviously he's in -- he started at Alcatraz.
KAGAN: Right.
MYERS: Is that right? And is swimming -- swimming back toward shore, which is almost a southward swim as the rock is in the middle of the bay. And he's swimming toward Fisherman's Wharf or somewhere down there. Somewhere around the embarcadero. But when we zoom out, I'll be able to figure out which -- what pier that really is.
KAGAN: And as we've been saying, there are other people there with him, because I don't think -- well, some people would question even letting a 7-year-old do this in the first place. But you wouldn't let a 7-year-old totally do it by himself. That's a Coast Guard watercraft that's following him along, and he also has his coach from Phoenix -- that's where they came from -- and two other strong adult swimmers.
Interesting that a kid that grows up in the desert would be fascinated with swimming so far in the ocean.
MYERS: Yes. And water that he probably never swims in is never less than 90 degrees down there in Phoenix, and now he jumps in the bay here at 56.5. KAGAN: Yes, a little bit different. And we're told he's heading toward Aquatic Park.
MYERS: OK.
KAGAN: Yes.
MYERS: Oh, right. Right -- sure.
KAGAN: So -- and I guess at some point -- I'm wondering if he's going to have to go underneath, through those pilings (ph).
MYERS: Through the pilings (ph)? I don't think so.
KAGAN: No?
MYERS: I think -- I think he'll be able to swim straight in.
KAGAN: Just swim alongside?
MYERS: Yes.
KAGAN: OK. Like he's using that as a guide post.
MYERS: There we go.
KAGAN: OK. Thank you, KGO, San Francisco. Ooh.
MYERS: Now we're going to get it.
KAGAN: But now -- well, see. Oh, OK. So he's going to swim along there, hopefully a straight line.
MYERS: Right.
KAGAN: He won't follow that curve around. He'll go straight. But he still has a long way to go.
MYERS: It looks like -- I hope he makes a little left turn under the pilings (ph) there and cuts that turnoff a little bit. Wow. He still has a long way to go.
KAGAN: He does.
MYERS: Yes.
KAGAN: And so do we. So we'll check in with Braxton.
MYERS: All right. Fair enough.
KAGAN: Braxton Bilbrey, 7 years old, from Phoenix, Arizona, trying to make a little bit of history there.
Still ahead, Katrina wrecked his life. Now a high school senior celebrates graduation and a bright future. You have to hear the story of his graduation -- unlike any other in the country. Also, we'll have the latest on the race horse Barbaro. Twenty- three screws inserted in his leg. Will it save his life?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: And once again, we're watching the San Francisco Bay. A 7-year-old boy, Braxton Bilbrey, from Phoenix, Arizona, trying to make his way. He left Alcatraz Island I think about an hour ago, and he's swimming in those cold and choppy waters of San Francisco Bay, trying to make it to Aquatic Park in San Francisco.
When KGO, our affiliate in San Francisco, pulled out the camera there just a few minutes ago, that little boy still has a long way to go. He has his coach and two other strong adult swimmers there along for the ride. And also, when the shot is wider you can see there's a Coast Guard watercraft as well.
We will be watching Braxton.
There is still hope for injured race horse Barbaro, but what happens in the coming days will be critical.
Let's take a look at pictures of Barbaro following surgery. He broke bones in his hind leg during Saturday's Preakness. Doctors say the Kentucky Derby winner has been active today, but Barbaro's recovery is not a sure bet.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. DEAN RICHARDSON, VETERINARIAN: It's still far too soon to say that he's going to make it. This is a very, very serious injury. Every day that goes by is important, but the reality is that it takes months before you know if a case like this is going to survive.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Our sports correspondent, Will Selva, has been watching Barbaro's chances very closely.
The picture of the day is the x-ray.
WILL SELVA, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Right. Right.
KAGAN: I mean, you can't help but look at that, can you?
SELVA: Twenty-three screws -- 23 screws. You have to remember that he broke bones above and below his right ankle. So that's pretty grotesque in and of itself. And it looked as though...
KAGAN: Look at that.
SELVA: ... this was going to be a life-threatening thing. I mean, you're right, 23 screws inserted. At this point, as the doctor was saying, it's going to be months before he recovers fully. And at this point in time, he's going to be seen as a breeding animal. And from as -- from what I understand, he was very interested in mares that were stopping by.
KAGAN: Yes. I mean, if he makes it, a good life ahead, no doubt.
SELVA: Yes.
KAGAN: But what -- but what a fall. I mean, you were at the Kentucky Derby.
SELVA: Right.
KAGAN: So you saw this breakout performance. Some would say maybe not because he was undefeated going into the Kentucky Derby, but the lengths literally by which he won.
SELVA: Yes.
KAGAN: People were saying Triple Crown, Triple Crown, which we haven't seen since the '70s.
SELVA: Well, what was so impressive is that field was not only unpredictable, but very fast. And for him to dart out like he did and to win by six and a half lengths was pretty amazing.
So that's why the hopes of him winning the Kentucky -- or the Triple Crown was so high, because we hadn't seen it in nearly 30 years, Daryn. We haven't seen a Triple Crown winner since 1978. So this was such a major deal for him. And you look at that.
KAGAN: Oh, you just hurt for him when you see how tender that is.
SELVA: Yes.
KAGAN: And this is the Preakness on Saturday.
SELVA: Now, typically what ends up happening, though, is when a thoroughbred sustains an injury like this, they usually get euthanized.
KAGAN: I mean, any other horse, the horse is put down.
SELVA: Yes, the horse is put down. But again, since, you know, they have plans for him to be a breeding animal -- but usually they get euthanized because they don't have, Daryn, the circulation in all four legs. So they need to have that equilibrium. They need to be on all four legs.
They can't walk on three legs at all. And what ends up happening is it leads to the circulation being cut off, and then once circulation is cut off it leads to disease. So that's why typically it happens.
It happened in 1993 Preakness. Union City went down. He had to be euthanized. So it happens a lot. KAGAN: Yes. I have a three-legged cat at home. I realize it works for the cat, but not for a horse. It was interesting to find out.
I heard this described as the equivalent of twisting your ankle going 40 miles an hour.
SELVA: Yes. I would say definitely that's the case. I mean, you see the way he went. He went somewhat sideways, planted his foot.
Now, how exactly it happened, nobody knows. I mean, they know that it was a misstep that he had. But to go that fast -- again, because these are athletes that we're talking about. Yes, they are horses, but these are bona fide athletes who are out there running, and they are in such incredible athletic and physical shape. For something like that to happen is very, very easy.
And as the doctor was saying, broken bones are very common, but the complexity of this injury is what made this so much different, and why it was a five-hour procedure to repair the damage. So...
KAGAN: And many months before we know.
SELVA: Yes, many months, exactly. But he was interested in mares. So he's acting like a 3-year-old colt. So, I have to say, Daryn...
KAGAN: He's acting like a guy.
SELVA: He's -- there's hope, I tell you. There's hope.
KAGAN: Yes. The guy brain thing is still -- is still working.
Will Selva from "Headline News," thank you.
Well, we are watching the swimmer. A different type of athlete.
Again, live pictures from KGO in San Francisco. Seven-year-old Braxton Bilbrey trying to make his way from Alcatraz Island to Aquatic Park in San Francisco. It's about a mile and a half.
We'll continue to watch that.
Meanwhile, let's go to south Florida. Here is Max Mayfield at the National Hurricane Center.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
MAX MAYFIELD, NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER: ... said that it's not all about the numbers. It just takes that one hurricane over your house to make for a bad year. And what I also want you to be sure that you hear is the fact that the research meteorologists are telling us that we are in this very active period for major hurricanes that may last at least another 10 or 20 years.
That's not good news. And the message is very clear. We need to be prepared.
If there is anything good that can come out of the last hurricane season, and that's pretty hard to find, I hope it's the motivation to help create a culture of preparedness. We have got to do a better job than we've been doing, and down to that individual level, too.
I have today invited some of our distinguished emergency management directors from coastal states. From Louisiana, Colonel Jeff Smith; from Mississippi, Robert Latham (ph); and from Florida, Craig Fugate (ph). And I'm asking our friends here in emergency management to help us emphasize the need for preparedness with their very own real perspective.
So I'm very willingly giving up my time to let these three people speak -- Jeff.
JEFF SMITH, EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT DIRECTOR: Thank you, Max.
First of all, on behalf of Governor Blanco, we would like to thank the dedicated men and women at the...
KAGAN: We've been listening in at the National Hurricane Center. Max Mayfield, the director of the center, giving his estimate. Again, this is supposed to be an active hurricane year, 2006.
In fact, Max Mayfield saying we're actually in a window of 10 to 20 years of active hurricane activity. So this is not going to go away. And he says the only benefit he can see from this is he hopes that this is creating a culture of preparedness. But as we've seen in stories from John Zarrella and some polls, that's not necessarily happening. People still not getting as ready as they should.
And while we listen in and watch what's happening in south Florida, just so you know, on the other side of your screen we're watching what's happening in San Francisco Bay. Seven-year-old Braxton Bilbrey, 7 years old, trying to make it from Alcatraz Island to the aquatic center.
We will follow braxton ahead.
But Chad, anything that you gleaned from what Max Mayfield had to say?
MYERS: Well, not so much with Max. I think Max knows he's going to be a really busy guy this year, so he decided to not take the microphone for very long. It kind of threw us a little bit of a curve at the beginning.
Admiral Lodenbacher (ph), he actually told a lot about what's going on. He had some other of his guys talk about what was going on.
So let's get it to you. Here's what was said before they put Max on.
A number of named storms in 2006, expecting 13 to 16 for named storms. The average is 11. KAGAN: OK.
MYERS: Hurricanes, eight to 10. The average is six. Major hurricanes, which means Cat 3 or higher, four to six. And the average there is two.
So you see...
KAGAN: Yes, that's the one that gets my attention.
MYERS: That is the one that almost can be triple the number there from a six to a two.
Here is what was said from Colorado State. The one on the left, 13 to 16, that's the NOAA forecast. Dr. Gray said 17. Then you see how easily...
KAGAN: Explain who Dr. Gray is, Chad.
MYERS: Dr. Gray is a hurricane expert, long, long time forecaster.
KAGAN: He lives in Colorado, though, right?
MYERS: He does.
KAGAN: How does the hurricane guy live in Colorado?
MYERS: Well, that's where he's employed.
KAGAN: OK.
MYERS: You know? Exactly.
NOAA saying eight to 10 hurricanes. He said nine. And this came out in April. The hurricane center saying four to six majors. He said five.
So, you know, we're right on the money here. And I think we're all -- obviously the hurricane center and Dr. Gray, they communicate back and forth. But some of the things that we didn't get to hear out of this conference, $109 million increase in the budget this year for NOAA from $200 million to $300 million; four new forecasters; a brand new satellite will be launched to help track the hurricanes; a new link, a direct link to the European satellites so that we can se the storms coming off Africa a little bit better. There will be a brand new NOAA watch Web page for everyone to be able to log on, very simple to use.
Here's what's the reason for these numbers being higher than average. Overall sea surface temperatures are up by about a half a degree. A lower African jet stream coming off. That making lower wind shear.
We're 11 years into a 25 to 40-year cycle. So this major hurricane activity could still go on for another -- well I guess you do the math, 14 to another 29 years. Obviously the last nine out of the 11 were all above normal, except for the La Nina years -- and the El Nino years, rather.
Climate and global warming, he talked about that. He said the Atlantic Ocean, since 1900, is up about one degree, but wind shear is actually more important than that one degree. Landfall cannot be predicted. In prior years like this, though, two to four hurricanes did make landfall in the U.S.
And that's what was told to us before they put Max on. And Max only talked for like 30 seconds. So there you go.
I was taking notes.
KAGAN: Yes, that's why we have you, Chad.
MYERS: That's right.
KAGAN: That's why we're in good hands. Thank you.
MYERS: You're welcome.
KAGAN: Let's get back to the story that's developing in San Francisco Bay. Seven-year-old Braxton Bilbrey trying to make it from Alcatraz Island and swim to shore in San Francisco, at Aquatic Park.
On the phone with us right now is reporter Kelly Ryan with our affiliate KGO.
Kelly, the first thing I'd like to know, because it's hard to tell from the camera perspective, just how close is Braxton to making it to shore?
KELLY RYAN, REPORTER, KGO: OK. Well, I can tell you, Daryn, I'm looking right now as he and his group of supporters, extra swimmers have come into the municipal pier. We can see them. We're on the beach here. And they seem to be doing a really good job.
Still strong swimming after that long swim from Alcatraz over to this pier now. It goes pier to the beach, and he'll be a record holder.
KAGAN: So the worst part, the toughest part of the swim is over?
RYAN: Well, I would say so, because we have some very heavy currents out there. And now he's in a protective cove. A lot of people waiting on the shoreline, very excited, because now they say this is the end of the line. He just has to go to the beach, and he is done.
KAGAN: He says he was inspired by a 9-year-old boy, Johnny Wilson (ph), who did this in October.
RYAN: That's right. Last October he did this for hurricane relief, raising some money there. He was 9 years old, Johnny Wilson (ph), from Hillsborough, not too far here from San Francisco. But, of course, a 7-year-old now.
We've got 7-year-old Braxton to do this. That makes him the world record holder in terms of the youngest ever to do this.
I must say, he was a little chilly and a little serious this morning as he was getting out there. And he had about three people help him into his wetsuit. Once he got in there, out he went on the boat, and his father said he was feeling very good after that.
KAGAN: Only 7 years old. Tell us again what the temperature of the water is estimated at.
RYAN: Somewhere -- it's somewhere -- we're hearing somewhere in the 50s. Now, today -- yes, pretty darn cold, I'd say. Today we're having some very nice weather.
Now, yesterday we had some rain. Last night as well. Today we're having some nice weather, and also the water has been very calm, which has been great luck for him.
He -- I can see right now they are about -- oh, we're looking at the buoy. They are almost to a buoy. And then from the buoy it's just a close swim to shore.
And there are about three or four folks in the water there. There's his trainer and two other very strong swimmers from Arizona that are helping him along. But he's doing a great job as far as I can see from where we are.
KAGAN: And the Coast Guard is cooperating.
RYAN: Yes, the Coast Guard is here as well. They wanted to just make sure everything was OK. And there is also a boat alongside him.
It's not too close, but just to make sure that if anything went wrong they would be there for him. But it looks like today for Braxton, he's been swimming very strongly. And he's going to make it to shore.
KAGAN: You are very confident on that. Kelly, how often, like, adult swimmers, do they try something like this?
RYAN: You know, every once in a while -- every once in a while we hear people going from Alcatraz off. You know, escape from Alcatraz.
There's also a race called Escape from Alcatraz, where a bunch of knuckleheads go out there and try to see if they can swim, and then race, run. And actually, they do a great job. And usually they all make it to shore, and if they don't, they have people on surfboards out there making sure that everyone is safe.
Now in this case, the swimmers, as they are approaching rather quickly now -- I don't know if you can see this, but...
KAGAN: Yes, we can see. RYAN: They are getting very close. They've been swimming the whole way. There haven't been surfboards.
There is that little rubber boat you can see there to the side. And the Coast Guard was out toward past the pier. But other than that, it's just been these -- it looks like one, two, three, four people in the water with Braxton. It looks like taking the lead, and still has got a nice strong stroke there, if you can see that, Daryn.
KAGAN: Yes. I mean, incredible. So you are there on the beach, Kelly, where he will come?
RYAN: Exactly. I am actually right now walking over because I want to get him right when he's out of the water.
KAGAN: I bet. Good reporter, Kelly.
RYAN: What he has to say, exactly. He's an -- he's an adorable kid, he's a bright kid. And he loves to swim.
This is a big dream of his. And he just -- he said he heard about the other kid that did it and he said, "You know what? If he can do it, I can do it."
KAGAN: And what kind of crowd is waiting there for him?
RYAN: I would say all along the pier here -- we're just down on the wharf, and that's a very popular area for tourists. We had a lot of people coming up to us today seeing our live truck, saying, "Hey, what's going on? What's going on?"
And then we had the other group who had watched us this morning saying, "Hey, where's the kid? Where's the kid?"
Now, we're seeing a bunch of people, I would say, maybe, oh, a couple hundred people now gathering here. Everyone from TV crews to tourists to locals waiting for him to come to the beach as he gets closer and closer. And I don't know if you can see right now, but he is getting very close, just yards from the beach, and people are getting very excited.
KAGAN: Now I'm jumping on the bandwagon. I'm going to go with you and say he's definitely going to make it.
RYAN: Well, you can come over to my side.
KAGAN: Yes.
RYAN: We're hearing people clap. I don't know if you can hear this, but people are beginning to clap.
We've got his family getting very excited to see him. And Daryn, he is literally just a few strokes away. And those tiny little arms. But, boy, they are strong arms.
And here he's coming in. And people are beginning to clap and to yell. And I'm going to walk down on the beach here.
KAGAN: All right. And here he comes. And Kelly, we're going to let you go because you want to go get that interview.
RYAN: I do. Thanks a lot, Daryn.
KAGAN: OK. You go. Thanks, Kelly Ryan, from KGO, one of our great affiliates there in San Francisco.
And here he comes, 7-year-old Braxton Bilbrey, only 7 years old. He just swam the whole way from Alcatraz Island. He can't even stand up.
Oh, there he goes. Look at him. He's just a little peanut.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A lot of big hugs from everybody.
KAGAN: He survived the swim. But will he survive the media?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Braxton, how are you feeling, buddy?
BRAXTON BILBREY, 7-YEAR-OLD WHO SWAM FROM ALCATRAZ ISLAND TO SAN FRANCISCO: OK.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good? What was the hardest part for you?
BILBREY: The swim probably.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're in the water. So we're just going to move a little bit up the shore.
Can you turn this way so our viewers can see your face and tell us what you think now that you've made it?
BILBREY: What?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What do you think about the fact that you made it, you set the world record?
BILBREY: Well, I think it's pretty cool.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You think it's pretty cool?
Dad, how did he do out there?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He did great. He did great. He swam all the way in and just looked so strong. He did so awesome. So proud of him.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The current was against you, huh?
BILBREY: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Was it as cold as you remembered it would be?
BILBREY: Not really.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not really? So you had your pizza last night. That was enough to get you -- get you into shore?
BILBREY: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everybody says you are a brave little boy. What do you say about that?
BILBREY: Well...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Braxton, what are you going to eat this morning?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let him answer the question. Everybody said you air brave little boy. What do you say about that?
BILBREY: I think I am.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You are.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You did great, buddy. You did awesome.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Braxton, did you see any sea lions or anything else around?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They're asking if he saw any sea lions.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What did your coach say to you to keep you going? When did you think you needed the most encouragement?
BILBREY: Probably the whole swim.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes? What did they say to you? Who was yelling? Who did you hear? And what did you hear them yell?
BILBREY: "Go Braxton!"
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did you do your freestyle, your favorite stroke, the whole way in?
BILBREY: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes? Did you think you could go back and swim back again if you needed to?
BILBREY: Maybe.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Maybe you can do it all again.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Braxton, what was the hardest part of the swim? BILBREY: Probably the cold, and just swimming it.
QUESTION: What were you thinking during the swim? What kept you -- your mind going?
BILBREY: But just me going.
UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: OK, now that you're done, what do you do now?
What's your next goal?
BILBREY: I don't know. Swim the English Channel.
UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: You want to swim the English Channel?
Good for you, Braxton.
OK, so as he gets a little warm, I'm going to sneak under here.
Let me talk to his coach really quickly.
How did he do?
How did you think he was going to do?
JOE ZEMAITIS, COACH: Oh, he was doing great. He did just like what I thought he would do. He stuck to the plan just -- just nice and steady. He didn't need to stop at all. Every time we asked him how he was doing, he said he was doing great. He made us proud. We were really proud of him.
UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: Lots of talk -- let's take a look at him now as he's getting his wet suit off. Lots of talk about the current and how he was swimming against the current, how it was going to be the strongest currents in 17 years.
How bad were they out there?
ZEMAITIS: The currents were pretty strong. They played around with us a little bit. You know, we ended up having to come in a little over to the east side over there and then swim right along the wall.
But we were really proud of him. He just stuck right to the game plan. He kept giving us the thumbs up.
UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: OK, your teeth are chattering and I don't see him yet.
You're not cold yet?
ZEMAITIS: This one is never cold.
UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: No, never cold. He's like a fish. OK, Frank and Torres (ph), and we're going to toss it back to you. We're a little wet here on the sand and the shore, but there's Braxton Bilbrey, now the world record holder for the youngest swimmer ever to swim from Alcatraz to San Francisco.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: He's only 7-years-old. He's not only a good swimmer, he's good at stating the obvious.
When asked what the hardest part was, he said the swim -- Chad, you've got to love the kid.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes.
KAGAN: He swam from Alcatraz to San Francisco, as you just heard the reporter from KTUV say.
MYERS: Yes.
KAGAN: He sets a world record. He's only 7-years-old and he makes that swim. His next goal, swimming the English Channel.
MYERS: I know. I really can't believe it. And that's probably just as cold, depending on the time of year.
I have a map behind me. Alcatraz Island here on our Google Earth. And he actually swam down toward almost due south, right into San Francisco. This is the little breakwater that he was talking about. The current pushed him off to the east. So when we saw him swimming around what we thought was the pier, that's actually the break wall right there.
He had to swim past the break wall because he got pushed too far to the east.
KAGAN: OK.
MYERS: He had to swim even farther than he thought and then into the lagoon and then right on down into the parks (ph).
KAGAN: Wow!
That's a really good perspective.
MYERS: Yes.
KAGAN: So actually when he got to that breakwater there, he was actually a lot closer than we thought that he was.
MYERS: He was closer to land, but he couldn't get to land because the breakwater was in the way, the break wall.
KAGAN: We all know that feeling, you're trying to get somewhere, you think you're almost there and not quite. But there he was.
Braxton Bilbrey.
MYERS: I thought he would give us one of a rocky cheer (ph) or something, you know, arms in the air. But he was too tired for that.
KAGAN: Something.
OK, well, good for him and congratulations to him.
Chad, thank you.
MYERS: You're welcome, Daryn.
KAGAN: Medical news you can use is coming up next.
Tipping the scales toward disaster. A new study underlines the link between obesity and breast cancer. What you need to know on CNN LIVE TODAY.
And President Bush is in Chicago today. He is speaking at a meeting of restaurant associations, but talking about Iraq. And you'll see his speech live here on CNN. We hear he's going to be taking questions.
We're back after a quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: The news is chilling for a nation that is losing the battle of the bulge.
Today, researchers reveal an even greater link between obesity and breast cancer.
Here's CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This new study points out that if women want to try to avoid getting breast cancer, one thing they can try to do is not gain weight after the age of 18. This study looked at 44,000 women. It's a huge study. And it looked at women getting breast cancer in the post-menopausal years.
And what they found is that women after age 18, if they had a 60 plus pound weight gain, that tripled their risk for breast cancer and especially for more aggressive tumors.
Now, that kind of a weight gain sounds huge, but really it's not necessarily so huge. It does happen. In fact, 68 percent of women over age 65 are overweight. So while this message may not sound very happy, you can also think of it that there is something that women can do if they want to try to avoid getting breast cancer. You can also look at this in a positive way, which is that physically active women have a much lower risk of getting breast cancer.
Other studies have shown that women who are physically active have a 40 percent lower risk of getting breast cancer. In fact, one 30 minute walk a day lowers the risk by 20 percent. Now, the reason for the link between fat and breast cancer is actually pretty simple. Breast cancer tumors thrive on estrogen and the more estrogen you have circulating in your body, the higher your risk of getting breast cancer. Fat makes estrogen. Estrogen is made by the fat cells. So that if you have a lot of fat, you therefore have a lot of circulating estrogen in your body.
That's also the reason why women who are overweight have a higher chance of getting uterine cancer.
Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
KAGAN: And to get your Daily Dose of health news online, log onto our Web site. You'll find the latest medical news, a health library and information on diet and fitness. The address is cnn.com/health.
Surviving and thriving against all odds -- nine months after Hurricane Katrina, many young storm victims are finishing the school year far from home. Well, right here in Atlanta, Richard Allen has just graduated.
He truly is in a class by himself. He was the only senior at Hopewell Christian Academy in Norcross, Georgia.
Richard, who lost his home in New Orleans, is here with the principal of the school, Horace Buckley.
Gentlemen, good morning.
RICHARD ALLEN, KATRINA EVACUEE: Good morning.
HORACE BUCKLEY, SCHOOL PRINCIPAL: Good morning.
KAGAN: And congratulations to both of you.
ALLEN: Thanks.
BUCKLEY: Thank you.
KAGAN: Richard, let's start with you.
What a year it has been.
ALLEN: Yes.
KAGAN: Not the senior year I bet you planned on for high school.
ALLEN: No, ma'am. No, ma'am, not at all.
KAGAN: Now, starting with Katrina, your home completely destroyed?
ALLEN: Yes. Our home is completely destroyed. It's not livable. But we have gutted it out and we're just waiting to see what's going to happen next.
KAGAN: Like so many families, and like thousands of families who ended up here in Atlanta, Georgia.
ALLEN: Yes, ma'am.
KAGAN: Went to a number of schools, until you come upon Hopewell Academy.
Let's bring Mr. Buckley in here and explain, because your school is an incredible story, too. You didn't just take in Richard, you took in more than 20 Katrina...
BUCKLEY: Twenty-one other students. Actually, 22 students we took in to Norcross, Georgia. And, I'll tell you, our hearts were out -- went out to all of the families who were part of that tragedy and we watched, as the rest of America watched. And right away, because of our benevolent spirits, we wanted to do something to help. And we worked with the pastor of the church, Dr. William Shields, and the administrator, Sister Beauty Baldwin (ph) and we pulled together a plan to develop a community to help anybody who would arrive from Norcross -- from the New Orleans area to Norcross. And that's where the story began. That's when...
KAGAN: OK, but here's the twist here. That's all well and good. But you're a relatively new school, growing as you go.
BUCKLEY: Right.
KAGAN: No senior class.
BUCKLEY: No senior class.
KAGAN: So how do you welcome in a twelfth grader?
BUCKLEY: I'll tell you, it was difficult but yet it was quite easy because of our dynamic teaching staff. You know, they were in on this plan from the very beginning and we did not know that we would have a student who needed to graduate. But when faced with that particular situation, the staff rallied behind Richard and his family and we developed a plan of excellence to make sure that Richard would graduate. And the rest is history.
KAGAN: OK, so let's talk about graduation day. When people say how many people in your graduating class, people say 600, 1,000. You will forever be able to say...
ALLEN: One.
KAGAN: Just one.
ALLEN: Yes.
KAGAN: But that didn't stop the school from having a huge graduation celebration.
BUCKLEY: Not at all.
ALLEN: No.
KAGAN: Tell us about what graduation day was like for you then.
ALLEN: Oh, it was very exciting. It was -- I didn't expect that much. I have four awards. One award was from the mayor and the Alpha Phi, Alpha Fraternity, saying that May 18th will be Richard Allen Day all over the Georgia district. And it was very exciting. And I wear this...
KAGAN: Two hundred and fifty people showing up for your graduation?
BUCKLEY: Absolutely.
Absolutely.
KAGAN: How did you pull that together?
BUCKLEY: Well, we have a very extensive community and the Norcross, Georgia community rallied behind Hopewell Christian Academy. And we all came out to support and celebrate with Richard and Hopewell Baptist Church as we graduated our first senior from Hopewell.
KAGAN: Congratulations on that.
What's your -- what are your plans?
What now?
ALLEN: Well, right now I'm working on getting to Georgia Tech. I have some kind of connections to get in. So hopefully if I get in, I can get in with a full four year scholarship.
KAGAN: Well, so far luck is on your side.
ALLEN: Yes.
KAGAN: Very good.
But you're headed back to New Orleans?
ALLEN: Yes. Right after this interview, we will be heading right back to New Orleans.
KAGAN: And your step dad is still back there? He's a firefighter?
ALLEN: Yes, ma'am.
KAGAN: All right.
Well, good luck.
Could you come up with a finer young man to be the first graduate of your new school?
BUCKLEY: Could not. Could not. Could not have been scripted any better. We're just thankful.
KAGAN: Well, it is a happy story and we like to bring the happy ones, as well.
BUCKLEY: Thank you.
KAGAN: Congratulations to you, Richard.
ALLEN: Thank you.
KAGAN: And Mr. Buckley, thank you.
BUCKLEY: Thank you so much, Daryn.
KAGAN: And thank you to your school, as well.
And you have a great trip back to New Orleans.
ALLEN: Thank you.
KAGAN: We like the good ones.
All right, coming up, President Bush is speaking in Chicago. We hear he's not just going to speak, but he's going to take questions from the audience, as well.
We will listen into that and we'll bring you more after a quick break.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Aflac leader who's had the U.S. all quacked up on today's Blue Chips.
DANIEL P. AMOS, CHAIRMAN & CEO, AFLAC: As a CEO, the thing that I've concentrated on is to try to stay focused, come up with a strategic plan and don't vary from the plan.
UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: Dan Amos's tactic seems to be working for America's top supplemental insurance provider. Revenues have more than quadrupled in the 15 years that he's been CEO. And things really took flight with the Aflac duck advertising campaign.
This year, Aflac made "Fortune's" list of America's Top 100 Employers for the eighth consecutive time.
AMOS: We've concentrated on being an outstanding employer because if you've got happy employees, that will permeate all of society, including potential customers as well as existing customers.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) KAGAN: If you're used to getting the best seats for the big concert tours, you may have to pay up a bit more this summer.
Susan Lisovicz live at the New York Stock Exchange.
A story near and dear to your music lover's heart.
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: But I never try to overpay, Daryn. That is for sure.
KAGAN: Good girl.
LISOVICZ: Ticketmaster, Daryn, will be selling the best seats for the most popular summer concerts by auction only. Ticketmaster, of course, dominates the ticket business, but it's fighting back against online ticket resellers like StubHub and Razor Gator. Those sites charge service fees to both buyers and sellers. The Internet, of course, has made it easy for speculators to buy tickets and resell them at huge markups on sites such as eBay and Craig's List.
The auction plan would take that option away from ticket brokers on the best seats. Ticketmaster will split the auction money between the artist and promoter -- Daryn.
KAGAN: So which concerts are they talking about trying this new auction plan on?
LISOVICZ: Well, Daryn, you were talking about one of them earlier on in the program, that would be Madonna with her "Confessions" tour. Also, Shakira; Kelly Clarkson; The Red Hot Chili Peppers, out with their first album in years; and former Pink Floyd front man Roger Waters, who is going to be doing "Dark Side of the Moon" with a backup band.
To give a sense of the difference in prices, regular top ticket prices for Roger Waters, Madison Square Garden show here in New York on September 9th are $175. Minimum Ticketmaster bid for the first four rows is $500. The big ticket broker sites are asking up to $7,000 for the same tickets.
Prices for Madonna's tour, which is going on now, as you mentioned, in L.A. have been selling for up to $45,000 on some reseller sites. But the best seats for that concert have a face value of $350. The Ticketmaster auction averaged $400 to $500 per ticket -- Daryn.
KAGAN: All right, Susan, thank you.
LISOVICZ: You're welcome.
KAGAN: Let's go live now to Chicago.
President Bush is speaking, answering a question about Iraq.
Let's listen in.
(PRESIDENT BUSH SPEAKING IN CHICAGO)
KAGAN: We have been listening in to President Bush.
He is speaking before a restaurant conference in Chicago today talking about Iraq there and lauding the formation of the new Iraqi government, taking place there over the weekend.
We're going to continue to listen in. We understand President Bush will be taking questions from the audience. And we'll bring that to you live here on CNN.
We also want to give you a heads up. At 1:00 Eastern, Tony Harris will have a chance to talk with the 7-year-old boy who just made history swimming from Alcatraz Island to San Francisco. And he'll be a guest on LIVE FROM in about an hour.
I'm Daryn Kagan.
International news is up next.
Stay tuned for YOUR WORLD TODAY.
I'll be back with the latest headlines from the U.S. and also with more with President Bush as he takes questions from the audience in Chicago.
See you then.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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