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CNN Saturday Morning News

Gulf Oil Spill May Spell Bleak Holiday for Tourism; Children of Spy Suspects Confront Identity Crisis; New State Laws Cover Text- Messaging, Concealed Weapons, Tanning

Aired July 03, 2010 - 06:00   ET

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


T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Hey there. Good morning to you all on this Fourth of July weekend. It's 6 a.m. where I sit here in Atlanta, Georgia, at the CNN Center, our world headquarters. Thank you all for being here with me this morning.

I am T.J. Holmes. This is, of course, a big holiday weekend. And it's a big weekend for the Gulf, because this is a weekend they expect to make a lot of money normally. But will they be able to this weekend because of the oil disaster?

A lot of the beaches still open, restaurants still open. But just for psychological reasons, a lot of people have just been turned off from going to the Gulf for vacations. So will they be scared off this weekend? We're going to be checking in with our Reynolds Wolf. He's live for us in the Gulf this morning.

Also, the action on the field is just not enough. The World Cup -- Paris Hilton making headlines in South Africa, detained by police for a short time. We'll explain what this was about. But she says it was just a misunderstanding. We'll be telling you about that this morning.

But first, let's give you a check of some of the stories that are making headlines.

Toyota just can't seem to get it right. Another recall for Toyota. They're going ahead with the recall of about 138,000 cars of their luxury brand Lexus. This includes '06 to '08 model GS, IS and LS -- all of those models included here. Problems with the engine could lead to stalling.

The company says it's also investigating engine problems in more than 270,000 vehicles worldwide. No reports of any injuries or fatalities related to the issue, however.

Also, more people are expected to hit the road this Fourth of July weekend compared to last year, even though I'm showing you a plane. AAA projects 34.9 million Americans will travel 100 miles or more this holiday weekend. That's a jump of a little over 17 percent. Of course, people are going to be driving places; they're going to be taking trains places.

And yes, in fact, they'll be flying places as well. Still too early to know how much this oil disaster's going to impact tourism in the region of the Gulf. So people are hitting the road; people hoping they will be still heading to the Gulf.

Also, Gen. David Petraeus -- it was just this week he was confirmed by the Senate. Just last week that he got the new gig. And already he is in Afghanistan to get back on the job. He joins U.S. diplomats at the American Embassy in Kabul.

He's marking the Fourth of July. He's now the top commander in the region, leading U.S. and NATO forces there. The same day Gen. Petraeus arrived though, militants attacked a U.S. aid agency, killing five people. Another 20 were wounded.

Well, it continues like it has been continuing for some time now. Seventy-five days to be precise. Again, another live picture. This is still up and the oil is still flowing, folks. Day 75 of this oil disaster.

So what is happening today? Scientists are meeting with the EPA. They're going to be talking about those chemical dispersants. A lot of controversy over these things. They're supposed to help break up the oil, but some concern about how it might affect marine life.

They're going to be studying these things a little more; the first study we know about showed that the chemicals alone don't impact marine life. Researchers still estimating that between 35,000 and 60,000 of oil have been gushing into the Gulf every single day since the explosion back on April the 20th.

Now, Hurricane Alex -- the hurricane, it was a tropical storm -- but Alex, the storm, still having an impact even though it's kind of gone away from the Gulf at least. The cleanup efforts are still a problem. The reason it's a problem, and even though it hit so many hundreds of miles away -- it's stirred up a lot of winds, stirred up a lot of those waters, those rough waters.

So it's keeping a lot of the skimmer boats from being able to go back out and work. And it's also caused a problem down there where the action still is, because apparently the cap that's on top has been knocked around by some of this rough -- these rough waters.

So it has been bouncing around and only able to capture so many barrels of oil. So about 20,000 fewer were captured yesterday because of this.

Now, that's the update on the oil and the recovery there. Now, a big part though of just sustaining life in the Gulf has to do this weekend. This weekend is a big deal, because this is a big money- making weekend for the beaches. Now, Independence Day, Fourth of July, always a big weekend. This is a time to make some money.

Our Reynolds Wolf and Bonne Schneider both are joining me live today. Bonnie, of course, here in studio with me, keeping an eye -- telling us exactly what the weather is going to be doing.

But I want to start with Reynolds, who's in Gulf Shores, Alabama. Reynolds, this is the weekend. We had Memorial Day a little earlier in the year. Didn't turn out so well for a lot of folks along the Gulf, as far as tourism goes.

So what do they expect this time around, for this weekend?

REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, what they can expect this weekend along that 32 miles of white-sand beaches, sugar beaches, if you will, with that emerald water that has been known to come right up along the shoreline -- what they can expect will be, in some locations, possibly empty beaches. I mean, this is a $1.1 billion industry for tourism in this part of the world.

And right now, I want you to think about something, T.J. A year ago, one year ago, it was sold out completely in terms of lodging here. But this time, you've got places that are just wide open. Some spots have got just only 50 percent to 70 percent occupancy. Rooms last year that were selling for $225 have been discounted to about $150, all trying to bring people in here.

You know, the -- the messenger -- the issue that we've got here has really been threefold. You've got a very poor economy. You've got high unemployment. But then you bring in the oil spill. So those -- those three coming together have been the real detrimental issue for people here and the tourism industry.

And it's not just affecting the hotels. It's affecting the souvenir shops, the gas stations that sell gas to those tourists. The restaurants are being affected, not to mention the deep-sea fishing, the charter boats. They're all having problems, too.

And again, one of the biggest issues what you have, right along the shoreline. That oil that continues to come up in parts of not only Louisiana and Mississippi, but of course into Florida and Alabama.

Now, we have some video taken earlier by our crack producer. We're talking about Eric Filger (ph). He was out in the truck. And earlier, he got some great shots we're going to show you right now. And you have people -- actually, when we just pulled up here, Mike Callaway, our photojournalists who pulled up in here, and -- and there was -- there were about -- roughly about 100 people that were out and about getting ready to go out on these beaches and start cleaning up some of this oil.

They've been out there doing it by hand. We've seen some tractors going by, trying to keep things as pristine as can be so that the people who are here, who have spent those hard-earned dollars, will be happy with what they see -- T.J.

HOLMES: Reynolds, what is -- I -- I guess what is their mission? What -- how do they even begin to trying to attack the oil from a PR standpoint, is what I mean? Because a lot of these beaches, like you say, are open. Some tar might be showing up, but it's not certainly affecting in a widespread way.

So are many of these areas just on a PR campaign to try to convince folks, 'Hey, it's all right to come on down?'

WOLF: Well, first impressions mean everything. So what they want to do is have things looking good. When people heat -- hit the beaches earlier in the morning, they don't want a trace of oil out there.

And on this beach behind me, the beaches themselves are open, but the swimming -- not supposed to go out there and swim. So what they're trying to do is, as that oil kind of makes its way up along the shore, they're trying to scoop it up, move it out of the way.

So again, it's kind of action as they see it. And it's -- it's a full-scale effort, I can tell you.

But they're -- they're trying to remain as optimistic as can be. Again, impressions mean everything.

And the reason why, T.J. -- I want you to think about this -- for the -- for the percentage of people that would normally come here -- and you've got families that for generations have been coming here to celebrate the Fourth -- the fear that a lot of people here have is that they're going to go places like, say, Myrtle Beach or Virginia Beach, somewhere on the East Coast, where they're not going to have the issues with the oil, and they might like that better, instead of coming back here.

HOLMES: All right.

WOLF: So that's really a fear that they have. They're trying to -- to win that battle. And it's certainly a tough one.

HOLMES: Oh, Reynolds, that is -- I never thought about that point you just made there. People might start venturing out a little bit and might not keep going to their favorite spots that have depended on those tourists for so long.

Reynolds, we appreciate you. We'll be talking to you plenty throughout the morning, and we'll be looking forward to seeing what it looks like when the sun comes up there as well. Talk to you soon here, buddy.

WOLF: You bet.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HOLMES: Well, we've been keeping up with this case of these accused Russian spies. Right now, they're behind bars, but these spies had kids while they were in the U.S. So what is supposed to happen of accused Russian spies now?

Stay with us. It's 10 minutes past the hour on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC, COLDPLAY, "SPIES")

HOLMES: About 12 minutes past the hour now.

Kind of a strange twist in this ongoing Russian spy-ring investigation. Four married Russian couples are accused of being spies who were working deep cover here in the U.S. Well, they had seven children between them while they were here.

Brian Todd now tells us those children could be left in limbo as the investigation unfolds.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Emerging from what authorities say was a deep-cover operation, three accused Russian spies appear in federal court. The judge calls each a danger to the community and a flight risk, orders them held without bail.

They include a married couple, Patricia Mills and Michael Zottoli, who have separate lawyers and don't even make eye contact with each other in court, Mills' face showing clear signs of strain.

Authorities say she's trying to get their two children, ages 1 and 3, sent to Russia to be with her relatives.

There are at least seven children among four married couples in this alleged spy operation, children struggling not only with sudden separation from their parents...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They are both of them innocent.

TODD: ... but also the accusation that their parents weren't who they said they were.

The government's complaint says illegals, spies who don't have diplomatic cover, sometimes work under the guise of married couples, and will often have children together.

This further deepens an illegal's legend.

I asked child protection advocate Terri Braxton about that.

(on camera): Now, the children might question whether their parents were ever even married, whether their parents actually felt an emotional bond with each other, because they could be spies, they could be set up to do all of this.

How bizarre is that?

TERRI BRAXTON, CHILD WELFARE LEAGUE OF AMERICA: Well, I -- you know, I -- I don't have a precedent upon which to base an opinion, so I -- I -- you know, I think that it is certainly something that I have not experienced before, but -- and I can't imagine that any of the kids in this situation are going to feel good about this situation.

TODD (voice-over): The kids may not have even known their parents' names until now. Prosecutors say suspect Patricia Mills told investigators her real name is Natalia Pereverzeva and that her apparent husband, Zottoli, said his name is Mikhail Kutzik.

I spoke about that balancing act with Eric O'Neill, a former FBI operative who helped catch Russia's FBI mole, Robert Hanssen, a case dramatized in the Hollywood film "Breach." (on camera): How hard is it to be a spy when you've got kids of any age?

ERIC O'NEILL, THE GEORGETOWN GROUP: That -- it has got to be incredibly difficult, because when you are a spy, the focus of your life is to be a spy, to accomplish the operation, to accomplish your objectives.

When you're a parent, you're supposed to take care of your kids. You are supposed to put them first in your life. And a spy can't do that.

TODD: Experts say despite the bizarre nature of this case, the children of all of these spy suspects will very likely be handed over to whomever the parents choose for guardianship, unless there is evidence of abuse on the part of the parents.

Brian Todd, CNN, Alexandria, Virginia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Well, Paris Hilton. There she is. You know, she has seen the inside of a jail cell here in the U.S. But some are wondering if she was trying to see what it's like to be in a jail cell in South Africa as well.

We'll explain her interesting World Cup experience.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Well, at 17 minutes past the hour, here are some of the stories we're following from overnight.

Authorities in Mexico have arrested several drug-gang suspects, including a man they believe is behind a shooting that killed a U.S. consulate employee and two other people. Police say Jesus Ernesto Chavez Castillo planned the shooting for the Los Aztecas drug gang. The victims were gunned down while leaving a birthday party.

Also, Tour de France starting up today. And among those competing, again, seven-time winner, American Lance Armstrong. Earlier this week, he announced on Twitter that this tour will be his last. Yeah right.

Well, some funky new laws are now in effect all over the country. Straight ahead, we'll give you the lowdown on the changes that range from texting while driving to your banking fees.

Stay with us on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Well, 20 minutes past the hour.

You need to be paying attention now, because some new laws went into effect, just went into effect the 1st of this month. And you might not really notice it until you get pulled over or arrested.

So Josh Levs here to explain some of these news laws. And -- and really, these will throw you off. They're not the -- the biggest things in the world, but you need to know they're out there.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we were all talking about here, because all of a sudden right here we are, at our headquarters in Atlanta...

HOLMES: Yes.

LEVS: ...you can no longer check your text a red light, which I'm absolutely guilty of. They can fine you and they can give you points from your license. There's a whole bunch of new laws.

In fact, let's start off with that. A bunch of states have added this law now involving texting while driving. I'll just tell you some of the states that have added new laws as of July 1: Georgia, Iowa, Michigan and Wyoming. Plus, two more states this month are kicking in: Kentucky and Nebraska.

Now, this means that more than half the states in the country now have various types of laws that ban texting while driving, and in a lot of cases, your car doesn't have to be moving. Even if you are stopped, you still cannot look down. There's a lot of questions about how to enforce this, and how cops can even know if you're making a phone call, which is still legal, or if you are using your phone to text at that time. But you can be fined; you can get points on your license.

Let's go to this next one now, which is not illegal, but it has a fine. And that's the tanning. You know, using these indoor tanning beds, anything involving ultraviolet light, basically, now this has this 10 percent tax that's designed to help pay for the sweeping overhaul of health care in this country. It's projected to net $2.7 billion over 10 years. You have a lot of these salons that are still protesting it, saying it's not fair. But other types of services are now getting business, like air-brush tanning, which does not have an extra fee.

Speaking of extra fees, bank-overdraft fees will now be illegal. Let me talk to you about what's going on with this. If you use your check card and if you overdraft -- you spend more than you actually have in there -- and you go to an ATM and you try to take out more cash than you actually have -- traditionally now, most banks will let you do that and then they'll charge you an overdraft fee.

Well, this new federal law that's gone into effect now, tells banks they cannot do that. Instead, they'll reject your payment at the time, or they'll work out a system with you in advance where you agree to allow these overdraft fees. They can't just go ahead and do it automatically. They're not allowed.

One more fun piece of video for you. There's a new law involving Burmese pythons. And I don't think I've ever said those words on the air before this week. Check this out; this is out of Florida. You can no longer Burmese pythons. Well, if you have them, you can keep them, but you can't buy them anymore. What's happened is, these things can live for 20 years. And it becomes really exhausting sometimes and really expensive to keep feeding them. So a lot of people have been releasing into the wild, and they -- they procreate like crazy.

So now there's all these Burmese pythons in the Everglades, and it's become a real problem for the state. So in Florida now, they can no longer sell Burmese pythons or a handful of other reptiles. So a few of the laws there.

Let me talk you through a few more here on the screen that are also pretty striking. Hundreds and hundreds of laws all over the country have gone into effect.

Here's one: Concealed weapons in restaurants that serve alcohol. Now, in New Mexico and Virginia, you're allowed to bring in a concealed weapon if you own it legally, to a restaurant that serves alcohol. You're just not supposed to drink alcohol while you're there. But then again, the weapon's concealed, so how are they going to enforce that? Interesting to follow.

A couple more. Hair-braiding -- this one's out of North Carolina. Now, a law -- apparently some people are going to go out of business, because you can no longer offer hair-braiding as a service unless you have a special license to do so.

And one more some of you are going to have some fun with. Here, take a look at this: high-stakes poker games in Florida. Now, in Florida, there's no longer a $100 buy-in limit to poker games; you can pretty spend as much as you want to buy in.

Why does this matter? Well, in this economy, Florida is hoping to draw some of those huge poker tournaments that are out there, make some cash off of that, and invite some more and more and more gamblers who want the high-stakes out there.

So just a handful of what you got. These new laws taking effect all over the country. Something to watch out for.

And you know what? That's just the tip of the iceberg. T.J., when you add up all the new laws around the country, you're looking at more than 1,000. People do need to start paying attention.

HOLMES: I need those two states again. The two where you can take the loaded gun into a -- what -- what were those two states?

LEVS: I bet you do.

(LAUGHTER)

(CROSSTALK)

HOLMES: So stay out of New Mexico and Virginia bars. There's a reason that rule was in place, folks. New Mexico and Virginia, stay out of bars in Mexico -- New Mexico and Virginia. I'm sorry. This -- I'm going to -- somebody's going to get on to me for this, but...

(CROSSTALK)

HOLMES: A loaded, concealed weapon in a place where folks are drinking. That...

LEVS: You're just no supposed to drink yourself.

HOLMES: Yes, see -- OK.

LEVS: OK.

HOLMES: All right. Josh, thank you so much.

LEVS: (INAUDIBLE)

HOLMES: All right. Well, the World Cup -- yesterday was the most exciting and heartbreaking day in the World Cup. The only African team still in it is now out of it. And they lost in the most heartbreaking fashion imaginable.

We'll be telling you about what's happening over in South Africa in just a bit.

Reynolds, at the same time, keeping an eye on what many were hoping at least was going to be a big tourism weekend in the Gulf.

Is that possible?

WOLF: They're going to try to make the very best out of a bad situation. This is a big make-it-or-break-it weekend in the -- in the tourism industry here along the Gulf Coast.

We're going to be talking about that -- about that coming up very soon.

Plus, we're going to be talking about a new player in terms of recovering some of that oil along the surface. A tremendous oil- skimming ship, one that is of gargantuan size. We're going to talk about that coming up in a few moments.

You're watching CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Well, welcome back to this CNN SATURDAY MORNING. I'm T.J. Holmes. Bottom of the hour here now. Glad you're starting your Fourth of July weekend here with us.

Tell you some of the stories we're keeping an eye on right now.

The future of a California transit officer now in the hands of a jury. Deliberations began yesterday in the racially charged case of Johannes Mehserle. He's accused of fatally shooting an unarmed black man on New Year's Day in '09. During the trial, Mehserle testified that he mistakenly grabbed his pistol instead of his stun gun. In Tampa, the four-day manhunt for the suspected triggerman in the fatal shootings of two police officers is now over. You see the suspect there. He was turned in to authorities last night. Dontae Morris is his name. He's accused of killing both officers during a traffic stop early Tuesday morning. Funerals for both of those officers set for a little later today.

And also, a pretty big miss some 220 miles above the Earth. NASA says an unmanned cargo ship failed to dock with the International Space Station. It was supposed to dock with the Russian side of the space station, if you will. It was some two miles away from the space station when it went just zipping by, so it's just floating out there right now. It was on autopilot, which was supposed to dock up on its own but some issue the telemetry and they weren't able to dock up.

They are going to try this again at some point they believe tomorrow they have a window to do so. They are discussing their options right now. Now, nobody is in danger. There are six astronauts, cosmonauts on the International Space Station right now. No one is in danger or was ever in danger from this thing. Again, it carries some pretty precious car, go resupply items, oxygen, water, all kinds of equipment. So they are going to try it again. See if they can link it up tomorrow.

Meanwhile, we'll turn back to the Gulf. Tourists hopefully heading to the Gulf Coast beach's on this holiday weekend. Just don't know how many might show up. They're celebrating the Fourth of July. Meanwhile, the oil recovery efforts, that oil response efforts, they continue right now. Something that's supposed to help out a lot is what we're told is the world's largest skimmer ship. It's there. It's just not being used yet. Reynolds joining me, once again, with detail this on this thing.

It's so big it has a nickname that goes along that kind of gives you an idea of how big this sucker is.

WOLF: Absolutely. We're talking about the A-Whale, not as in like a whale, A, the letter A, as in apple, whale. And it is certainly is a whale of a ship. We're talking about three and a half football fields in length. It is about 10 stories from the water line all the way to the top. It is just a monster of a ship and could be a major game changer.

It has the potential, wrap your mind around this, of collecting about 500,000 barrels per day. But this boat, which is actually brought in by TMT, a Taiwanese company, is not ready just yet. It has to undergo some tests, has to undergo some tests from the Coast Guard as well, as the EPA before it's allowed to head out there and start working. This is a potential to be a major game changer. Think about being a mediocre running back on an NFL team, you have a great running back that is going to come to your team. That is basically what this is going to be like.

Now we have also been told in terms of the amount of barrels that have been coming out, again, from the-at the very underwater, we're talking about the rate that's been guesstimated anywhere from 1,000 barrels per day to 60,000 barrels per day. Again, if it can work to, again, the potential of bringing in 500,000 barrels of this oil/water mix, that will separate at the surface and let the water will run off back into the Gulf, once cleaned, that can make a big difference, tremendous difference.

Let's send it back to you, T.J.

HOLMES: When might we see this thing finally up and running?

WOLF: You know, hopefully very soon. There hasn't really been any set time for it. What's really interesting about this, and this is even more interesting, is that if this ends up being as successful, they do test it. They are going to be using what is referred to as fire foam to see if they can use that efficiently. And literally, to load the oil, they are going to try something called the fire foam on the water.

They're going to run it through tests. If successful they may have not just one but possibly two more boats very similar to it. The next boats would be not "A Whale" but "B Whale" and "C Whale." Imagine three of these working out there. Again, it could be a tremendous help in this effort of recovering all that oil.

HOLMES: A, B, and C Whale that is interesting.

WOLF: A, B, and C whale.

HOLMES: Reynolds, thank you so much, buddy. We're going to check in with you plenty. I see you getting possibly some light back there as well. We'll check in with Reynolds throughout the morning, on what's happening there in the Gulf.

Did you see what happened yesterday in South Africa? Ghana, they lost. But that's not just the story. This was literally the most heartbreaking sports loss I have ever seen in my life. History was in their hands and literally yards away. But Ghana will not be able to carry the hopes of the entire continent into the next round of the World Cup. Those highlights coming up. It's 34 minutes past the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)\

HOLMES: Well, the latest jobs report from the U.S. Labor Department finds that the unemployment rate fell to 9.5 percent last month. That's the lowest since June of last year. Also, lower than the month before, which was at 9.7 percent. Still, more than 14.5 million Americans are out of a job.

CNN's Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser tells us Democrats and Republicans don't see eye to eye over this report. Surprised?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Good morning, T.J. The monthly jobs report is arguably the most important economic number in politics. President Obama found a silver lining in the June report.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It also showed the six straight month of job growth in the private sector. All told, our economy has created nearly 600,000 private sector jobs this year. That's a stark turn around from the first six months of last year, when we lost 3.7 million jobs at the height of the recession.

STEINHAUSER: The president says we're headed in the right direction. But acknowledges the economy is not moving fast enough and says that he has a great deal of work still to do. Congressional Republicans, they see it differently. They blame the president and Democrats in Congress for pushing the wrong prescriptions. And call the $862 billion federal stimulus program, which was designed to pump up the economy, they term it a failure.

REP. KEVIN BRADY, (R) TEXAS: Instead of providing encouragement, President Obama and this Congress have given entrepreneurs reason to worry. Businesses aren't reluctant to hire because they're waiting to see what Washington will do for them, they're reluctant to hire because they're afraid of what Washington will do to them.

STEINHAUSER: So what do you think? Six out of 10 Americans say the stimulus hasn't helped the job situation. That according to a Pew poll conducted two weeks ago. Other surveys have similar findings. Who is to blame for the economy? More Americans, it seems, blame the Republicans rather than Democrats. That according to a recent CNN Opinion Research Corporation national poll.

About a quarter blame both parties. Well, one thing is for sure. With four months to go until the midterm elections, the economy, and jobs remains by far the top issue on the minds of Americans, T.J.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: All right. Thanks to our Paul Steinhauser.

A Pew Research Center study finding 4 million children born in the United States have at least one parent who is an undocumented immigrant. CNN's Thelma Gutierrez finds out what can happen went that parent is are deported, forcing these citizen children to make an impossible decision.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Julie Quiroz is American. She was born in Washington State. In one day she says she lost everything, her friends, her school, even her country. Last year immigration agents arrested her two older brothers and her mother, Anna, who was working illegally cleaning hotel rooms to support four children.

JULIE QUIROZ, FAMILY WAS DEPORTED: I was there when they handcuffed her. I was there when they took her down. GUTIERREZ: It happened on her mother's birthday. And the day of her elementary school graduation.

J. QUIROZ: Once you get there, you are shocked.

GUTIERREZ: Julie's family was deported to Mexico City. She and her little sister, Charisse (ph), also a U.S. citizen, had no choice but to follow.

(On camera): Did you ever feel like you belonged in Mexico?

J. QUIROZ: I never belonged. I don't belong there.

GUTIERREZ: Did you ever have friends there?

J. QUIROZ: I had-no one.

GUTIERREZ: How did you do in school?

Really bad. Just come home, sit down, cry. Ma, I can't do it.

GUTIERREZ: Why?

J. QUIROZ: I can't read or write Spanish.

GUTIERREZ: At 13, she was a stranger in a foreign land.

J. QUIROZ: I felt like there was no more dreams for me.

GUTIERREZ: Then, Joe Kennard, a land developer from Texas, heard about Julie's plight, and the 3 million other American kids who have an undocumented parent like Anna, Julie's mom.

JOE KENNARD, JULIE'S GUARDIAN: You can make the argue that, you know, she deserved what she got because she was an adult, she made a choice, she knew the consequences, et cetera. But why the children? They're innocent. And they're born here, they're U.S. Citizens.

GUTIERREZ: The Kennards reached out to Julie's mother in Mexico, and said Julie could live with them in Texas and enroll in school. Julie's mother made the incredibly painful decision to implore Julie to go. An unbearable decision to leave her family for her country.

J. QUIROZ: The thing I like about Texas is that it's so beautiful, wonderful.

GUTIERREZ: She now lives with Joe's family near a lake. She finished ninth grade and is adjusting to all the changes. When she's alone, she says it still hurts.

J. QUIROZ: I want to be in my mom's arms.

GUTIERREZ: The dream that keeps her going, now determined to become a lawyer to fight for kids who are forced to endure painful separation.

Thelma Gutierrez, CNN, Waxahachie, Texas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: We're going to turn to the World Cup here in just a moment. A lot of action. Yesterday was a really big day. Maybe one of the biggest days, not the biggest day, we've seen so far in the entire tournament, but off the field, one celebrity spectator getting in a little trouble with the law. We're going to be going live to South Africa with all the details. That's straight ahead. It is 41 minutes past the hour on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Some of the stories we're keeping an eye on from overnight. Authorities in New Mexico have arrested several drug gang suspects including a man they believe is behind a shooting that killed a U.S. consulate employee and two other people. Police say Jesus Ernest Chavez Castillo planned the shooting for the Los Aztecas drug gang. The victims were gunned down while leaving a birthday party.

Tour De France getting under way today. There he is, the seven- time Tour De France champion, Lance Armstrong. He is among the cyclist competing this year. Earlier this week he announced on Twitter that this is going to be his last tour. But how many times have we heard that?

Well, if you don't win at the World Cup, it will be your last game. We know that for sure. Win or go home time right now. A lot of stuff going on, on the field and off the field, including Paris Hilton. Apparently the adrenaline from the games not getting her high enough. According to some authorities, she was trying to get higher, quarter to the top of the hour. We'll explain.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Wham. Well, our producer has got to give me a heads up before you hit me with Wham in the morning. It is a quarter to top of the hour.

Have you been watching the World Cup? You've just been, quite frankly, the adrenaline high from some of the games have been unbelievable. But South Africa, they say Paris Hilton was trying to get higher than that even. Let's show you some video from inside a courtroom where she was. There she is. She's sitting there because she was brought in on a drug charge. I should let you know that drug charge has since been dropped, but the hotel heiress was arrested on suspicion of marijuana possession after a World Cup match yesterday.

Later released after it was revealed that her photographer was actually the one that was with the stuff, and smoking the stuff. She still might face a fine, but still, this is a misunderstanding, according to her people. She was not the one with any marijuana.

Meanwhile, South Africa, the whole continent of Africa right now just weeping. I found myself weeping a bit yesterday. This was the cruelest of losses you have ever seen in a game of any kind out there. But this is on the grandest of stages, at the World Cup.

Also, Brazil lost as well, the mighty Brazil. A lot of people might have been shocked by that but you weren't necessarily crying over their loss. They got picked apart by the Netherlands, but out of the 32 teams that have been battling for football's biggest prize, only six are left. Will be down to four by the end of the day.

Let's turn now to Alex Thomas, joining me live from Johannesburg with a breakdown of yesterday's action.

Alex, you know it's a big deal, Brazil, the mighty number one failed. But still it might have been the bigger story yesterday. It was certainly the most heartbreaking, to see Ghana, the only African team left in competition, not only lose, but the way they lost, Alex, was just cruel.

ALEX THOMAS, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: You're right, T.J. With the greatest respect to the Netherlands, and to Uruguay, that semifinal hasn't quite got the ring to it that Brazil versus Ghana would have been. Brazil, a country that just seems to live for football against Ghana, the only African nation that was left in the World Cup, and really they should be in the semifinals on this Saturday morning, T.J. You know they got so close.

It was all a great start from Ghana really at the end of the first half. Solly Menatari, who plays club football for Italy, for Inter-Milan, not used a lot by Jose Marino, who led his club to the champions league victory this season. But he hit a thunderbolt of a shot on the stroke at halftime. Uruguay hit back through Diego Fallen, in the second half. There are no more goals after normal time; 30 minutes of extra time.

And then in the dying seconds of the entire match, Luis Suarez, of Uruguay there, top scorer of this World Cup, handles the ball to stopping it from going over the line. It would have been a certain Ghana goal. Suarez got sent off. He'll miss the next match for Uruguay. Up steps Asa Mergi (ph), and Ghana's top scorer at this World Cup. He's been so good. He was excellent through the match without scoring and he has a penalty kick to put Ghana through. Hits the cross bar, the ball goes over, it does not go in. It goes into a penalty shootout that is won by Uruguay.

I was lucky enough to be in Soccer City Stadium. The vast majority of the 84,000-strong crowd were all supporting Ghana. Uruguay, with a pantomime villains being booed and hissed at every turn. In the end, though, the crowd was silent, in despair. Ghana out, T.J. A very cruel blow. As cruel as it is for Brazil, who now have to look forward to hosting the next World Cup in four years' time.

HOLMES: And Alex, you were actually in there. I was sitting in my living room watching this thing. Give me a better sense. You talked about a sense of despair in there. But really how did they react, the crowd, after he missed that penalty shot, essentially that penalty shot that would have won it for them in the actual last minute. It probably would have been the last play of the match, he would have won. Just to go from that excitement to just total dejection after that. What was it like to see the emotion sucked out of that place?

THOMAS: T.J., I have to be brutally honest with you. At that exact moment I was back in our live position.

HOLMES: Oh.

THOMAS: A sort of temporary scaffolding affair across the row, because I had to be broadcasting live for CNN International viewers. But we could hear what was going on. We were watching a penalty shootout on a TV delay at our live shot position. We knew what was going to happen before we saw it on the tele because as you could tell from the stadium, if there was a loud cheer, it was Ghana doing something right. If there was silence, it was Uruguay doing it.

That was how stark the contrast was. You could see on the tele, couldn't you, he had his face in his hands. How brave he was to then step up and take the first spot kick for Ghana in that penalty shootout and score, right in the top right hand corner. Absolutely amazing. He will take ages to get over it. We have seen penalties missed throughout the history of soccer and huge, huge deal for the players that miss.

HOLMES: Alex, I was going to ask you about some of the games, match-ups coming today but I don't even want to now. Alex, we appreciate you, as always. That was a tough, tough game to watch. Alex Thomas, we'll be talking to you plenty. Appreciate you reporting to us. Thanks so much, buddy.

And again, folks, if you didn't see it, there's no way to even put it into terms how close they were, the last play of the game. All he has to do is make a penalty shot and Ghana is going on to the semifinals, farther than any African team had ever gone. And, in fact, yes, the first World Cup on the continent of Africa. That is what slipped away from them yesterday. The young man was inconsolable on the field yesterday. Took forever to even get him up and get him off. A tough loss for Ghana yesterday.

We told you about some of these new laws in place. And some states even have laws that ban texting while you're driving. What about texting while you're parenting? We're going to show you what some child development experts call an alarming trend now.

Stay with us here. It's about seven minutes until the top of the hour here on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Most people probably think that texting is a pre-teen problem, what if it's really the parents who are the real offenders.

CNN's Alina Cho reports on PDA and cell phone obsession.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's no secret that a lot of us are addicted to our iPhones, and Blackberries. But what happens when that gets in the way of parenting? Some parents are spending so much time looking down and typing they're ignoring their children. And child development experts say, that's a problem.

STEPH THOMPSON, MOTHER OF TWO CHILDREN: How was field day?

CHO (voice over): Stay-at-home mom Steph Thompson has three children of sorts. The two you see, and the one you may not know exists, her Blackberry.

THOMPSON: I look at it a lot. Often, as my one son told me, more than at his face.

CHO: Like many, 39-year-old Thompson fully admits she's addicted to the very device that allows her the flexibility to work from home, and be with her kids. The irony is not lost on her.

THOMPSON: You guys hold on.

CHO: The Blackberry that makes her constantly available to others is making her unavailable to her children.

(On camera): Don't you worry that you're taking your eye off the ball, so to speak, your child?

THOMPSON: I do worry that I -- that I'm ignoring my children.

CHO: It can be dangerous. I spoke to one man who says he actually saved a baby who wandered into the street and was nearly hit by a car. He says both of the parents were texting side by side and not paying attention. Other mothers we spoke to say their mobile technology obsession has made them take pause, too.

JUDITH KENNY, MOTHER OF 8-YEAR OLD: I'm with my eight-year-old son in the middle of the street. And he's telling me a story and I'm just kind of on autopilot while I'm really -- where my presence is in answering the e-mail or whatever I'm doing with the phone.

CHO: More than 285 million Americans now communicate via mobile devices. That's potentially a lot of parents texting. Child development experts call the texting, mailing, phoning while parenting trend alarming.

DR. LORI EVANS, NYU CHILD STUDY CENTER: You don't feel good about yourself when your mother is saying, oh, I need to just, you know, answer this e-mail. What message does it send? That you're important but just hold on a minute.

CHO: Thompson is so aware of her problem, the freelance writer even wrote about it on an online parenting site babble.com, asking, Does my Blackberry make me a bad parent?

EVANS: Sometimes we find a middle path to everything. And it may not be that I'm not going to answer my Blackberry or use my cell phone. I think it's about what would it be like to turn the Blackberry off for 20 minutes?

CHO: Thompson says she's willing to try that. Her goal, to look at her kids more than her Blackberry.

(On camera): There's very little research on the effects of texting and e-mailing while parenting, but there's no doubt that engaged parents are better ones. Experts say if you want your kids to be able to communicate well, you have to talk to them, be with them, not just physically, but mentally, too.

Alina Cho, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Hello there, everybody. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia, our world headquarters here. This is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. It is 7:00 a.m. where I sit here in Atlanta. It's 6:00 a.m. in Memphis, Tennessee. Wherever you may be glad you could be here. I'm T.J. Holmes.

It is also 6:00 a.m. in Gulf Shores, Alabama, right now. Where they are hoping for big crowds for what you see right there is turning some crowds off. You've got people out there working on beaches trying to clean up and make things pretty for their guests, if you will, getting tar balls off the beaches. Are they going to be able to win this psychological battle there, along the Gulf Coast, trying to get people to come down this holiday weekend? Our Reynolds Wolf is live there for us we'll be checking in with him.

Also, this morning, this Fourth of July weekend, overseas the new U.S. commander in Afghanistan is talking to over 1500 of the troops there in Kabul. That happened just a bit this morning. He says he's got an all-star team over there working in Afghanistan. But got some tough, tough challenges and he arrives at a time of increasing violence. We'll be live in Kabul here in just a moment.

But first let me tell you about some stories that are making headlines. Including another recall to tell you about from Toyota. They are going ahead with a recall for 138,000 cars of their luxury brand Lexus. This includes the '06 to '08 models of GH, IS, and LS models. The problem here is with the engine. They say it could stall.

The company says it's also investigating engine problems in some 270,000 vehicles worldwide. This is just more trouble for Toyota. The company has recalled more than 8 million vehicles for a variety of problems over the past few months.

Well, you're expected to see more folks out there on the road with you, maybe on the train with you, on the plane with you, compared to last year. But maybe because of improvements to the economy, AAA says nearly 35 million Americans will travel 100 miles or more this Independence Day weekend. That's a jump of a little over 17 percent from last year. Still too early to tell how much the oil disaster is going to impact tourism, at least in the gulf region. Also in Tampa today, a four-day manhunt for the suspect in the fatal shootings of two police officers is over. The man -- you see him there -- he is in custody now. Dante Morris is his name. He's accused of killing both of those police officers during a traffic stop early Tuesday morning. Funerals of both of those officers are set for a little later today.

General David Petraeus this week approved by Senate to take his new post, and already he is on the job. He is leading U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan. He takes control at a time when violence in the region seems to be escalated.

Our Atia Abawi is joining me now live from Kabul.

Atia, hello to you. And on this Fourth of July weekend, what did General Petraeus have as far as his message for the troops?

ATIA ABAWI, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, T.J., it was General Petraeus' first full day here in Afghanistan as the top NATO commander. It started with a daily morning ISAF briefing where a NATO official says that he was engaged very much so when it came to figuring out what was going on, asking questions to get a lay of the land.

It was followed by -- heading to the U.S. embassy for the Fourth of July celebrations that they're actually holding a day before. He sat out there with U.S. Ambassador Karl Eikenberry, showing a united front between the two. And he also said that the war to succeed would need a united effort with the civilian and military and the Afghans.

Let's listen to what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEN. DAVID PETRAEUS, U.S. COMMANDER IN AFGHANISTAN: I am reminded that this is an effort in which we must achieve unity of effort and common purpose. Civilian and military, Afghan and international, we are part of one team with one mission. In this important endeavor, cooperation is not optional. This is a tough mission. There is nothing easy about it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABAWI: Well, T.J., that event, he shook hands and greeted 1,700 dignitaries, whether they be U.S., Afghan or international. The rest of his day, according to a NATO spokesperson, will include meeting with his commanders here on this ground. The most important meeting of all will be that with President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan -- T.J.

HOLMES: But, Atia, he talked about the unity and cooperation that they must have. But another big element is that they need to find a way to stop the violence because we have seen an increase in violence here lately, including an attack we just saw on the day he arrived.

ABAWI: Absolutely. June, just last month, just a few days ago, was the deadliest month in the war here in Afghanistan since it began in 2001. One hundred and one NATO service members killed here in Afghanistan.

And as you mentioned, yesterday, the Taliban sending a strong message, having a very brazen attack in the north part of Afghanistan -- northern Afghanistan was once considered the safe part of Afghanistan. But the Taliban proving that they are infiltrating that area, they're spreading the insurgency. Yesterday, we saw five people killed as they attacked an aid agency compound, three foreigners and two Afghans. And a gun battle that lasted for 6 1/2 hours -- T.J.

HOLMES: All right. Atia Abawi there for us in Kabul -- Atia, thank you so much. Good to see you this morning.

We're going to turn back now to the Gulf oil disaster here now on day 75 of this disaster. What's happening today? Well, scientists are meeting with the EPA today to discuss chemical dispersants.

The first study of the dispersant show that the chemicals alone don't impact marine life. Researchers estimate still that between 35,000 and 60,000 barrels of oil have been gushing into the Gulf every single day since the explosion on April 20th at the rig.

Hurricane Alex caused some problems and still causing problems with the Gulf oil clean-up. A lot of the skimmers had to get out of the water because they can't handle the rougher seas right now, the rougher waves that were brought on by the storm.

Those waters also caused the cap that's on top of the well, again, some 5,000 people on the surface of the water, to start bouncing around a bit. It's not as tight of a fit as it was. And because of that, there were only able to capture some 20,000 fewer barrels yesterday.

Well, it is one of those issues -- one of those disasters we're dealing can that impacts so many things, but it's also impacting tourism along the Gulf right now. And the bread and butter really for the tourism season down there are these big holiday weekends.

Yes, people go down and visit the whole season, but they really hope to make a lot of money during these holiday weekends.

Our Reynolds Wolf is there for us. Our Bonnie Schneider is here live with us as well, keeping an eye on the weather.

Reynolds, I want to start with you though. In talking to folks down there -- I mean, what are their hopes for this weekend now? Are they high? Are they optimistic? Or are they pessimistic right now?

WOLF: You know, I think it's a balance of a little bit of everything. There's definitely some pessimism. They've had a tough time this year.

And it's been three-fold. I mean, they've been dealing with the oil spill. That's a granted. We've been talking about that nonstop. But you also have high unemployment, you've got a very poor economy, people are trying to save money. But the deal is the ones that are spending that money, the people who are planning on coming out to the beach. A lot of people unfortunately are going to stay home.

You know, I'll take you back one year ago. One year ago, this beach, everything was basically sold out. Everything was filled to capacity. But this time, you've got some place vacancies of 30 percent to even 25 percent.

Hotel prices -- I mean, just to get a room -- last year, the average was $225. Now, it's been dropped to about $150 to attract additional people. And to try to bring it back, you see scenes like -- well, there were scenes like the ones behind me.

There were some people out here, some crews, some tractors that would be cleaning up the beaches. And that's a tall order, T.J., because that oil has been coming up. Of course, it's been pushed by the tides. It's been pushed by the storms.

You see the waves behind me. They sure look pretty but, you know, they just try to clean it up as it comes ashore. And it has been coming ashore, not just in Alabama but also in Florida, back in Louisiana and even in Mississippi.

So, certainly some tough times. They're trying to make the very best of it. Again, a $1.1 billion industry, tourism here along parts of the Gulf Coast.

T.J., I'm going to send it back to you. Let's keep this conversation going.

HOLMES: Yes. Let's keep it going. I was -- you have -- we saw some video you showed us earlier of those tractors out there cleaning up the tar balls. Well, give me an idea of that beach in particular -- and we are showing the video now -- but just how soiled has the beach where you are, how soiled has it been with some of these tar balls?

WOLF: To be completely honest with you, it's really hard to tell because they've been doing such a great job cleaning it up. We've seen iReports over the past couple of days of the reddish kind of tide coming on shore. Not the red tide that people are often fear on the Gulf Coast that can affect sea, but we're talking about the tide of the oil, the water that comes up and it's tinged with that reddish crude.

And as it's been coming onshore, they've been doing a really good job keeping it clean. But, still, in speaking of that water, you got the double red flags that are going to up and down along this beach. And we -- people happen to come out and see those double red flags, what it means is: you can't get in the water.

The beach itself is going to be open, but you can't get out there for two reasons: one, of course, because of the oil, but also because of the very strong surf. We got heavy surf today -- some of that due to the storm that came through on the other half of the Gulf. That effect being felt even as far east as Gulf Shores, Alabama -- T.J.

HOLMES: Yes, I can't get in the water. That's not good news. But, still, you have enjoy the scene.

WOLF: Yes.

HOLMES: Still gorgeous, still beautiful beaches.

Reynolds, we appreciate you. We will be back checking in with you plenty.

Let's check in with Bonnie now.

Bonnie, along the Gulf, at least, it looks like they might see some good weather, hot weather. But some folks are not going to be able to fire up the grill today.

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: No, and it's that whole different part of the Gulf that we're watching today, T.J., for stormy weather. Alex, still, the remnants of it is still bringing a lot of wind and rain to areas in Texas. But a lot of that is further inland now. You can see, it's worked its way north of Dallas on into Oklahoma.

But we are also watching an area of low pressure that has emerged just to the south of the Florida Panhandle. This one is something the National Hurricane Center is watching, possibly for development, although the 10 percent likelihood of that is listed as low. But just to let you know what we're seeing is warm moisture being kicked up as the winds wrap around this low. Plus, just creating an unsettled level for Florida.

So, if you're planning to head to the west coast of Florida, or even the east coast, we are seeing, unfortunately, you guessed it, some wet weather and some stormy weather. We'll keep that chance of thunderstorms in the forecast for much of the Gulf Coast. The heaviest rain, though, will stay here, more towards northern Texas and places like Amarillo -- all that moisture running up from Mexico, once again, the remnants of Alex.

Warmer conditions across the eastern half of the country and temperatures are starting to shoot up -- about 81 degrees today for a high temperature in Washington, D.C. But I want to show you what's happening for the Fourth of July. We've got the fireworks out there. That's for sure. But we're also looking at really, really hot temperatures.

Let's show you what it looks like outside right now in Philadelphia this morning, getting ready for a big celebration tomorrow for the Fourth. Lots of fireworks.

We're looking at some hot conditions across Philadelphia. The temperature will be soaring, especially for tomorrow. Take a look at the forecast -- 98 degrees. Now, that will be a hot Fourth of July for you. And then it heats up to 99 on Monday, T.J. A lot of people have Monday off.

So, hot next few days. Today, not too bad, about 89.

HOLMES: Do we have Monday off? Are we off on Monday?

SCHNEIDER: I don't. But maybe somebody does.

HOLMES: OK. And again, a lot of people are relieved that it won't be raining on their Fourth. But these temperatures though can be dangerous.

SCHNEIDER: Yes. And I definitely recommend if you are off to try to spend at least the middle of the day indoors if you can where there's air conditioning or someplace cool because it will be very oppressive.

HOLMES: The hottest point.

All right. Bonnie, good information as always -- thank you so much.

Well, coming up, have you ever, you know, seen somebody driving down the highway and you describe it as: why are you flying down the road like that? Well, we're taking it to a whole new level now -- a car that literally flies.

It's 10 minutes past the hour. Stay with us here on this CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

No, it's Saturday. It's not Fourth yet. It's Saturday. I know, folks. I'm sorry. I know it's Saturday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: All right. We've got a car now that flies.

Josh, most folks, I don't even want to ride with them because of their driving. Now I've got to worry about them being a driver and a pilot? I don't know about that.

LEVS: It depends on how bad the traffic is, right? Sometimes you would rather get out of the traffic so you're not stuck in a car with them anymore.

And theoretically, this is where we're headed -- eventually, right, to where we can actually have flying cars like this, from Terrafugia, which is moving one step closer to reality. This is a pretty big deal here. You know, we've heard all these futuristic descriptions forever, seen on movies, seen them on TV shows.

But what's actually happening here -- you're looking at something real here. This is potentially the future right here. What's happened now is that the government, the Federal Aviation Administration, has given approval to one key step in the creation of this flying car. They gave it its exemption so it's allowed to take off at a certain weight. And inside this thing, this is a whole bunch of safety precautions. They have a safety cage. They have air bags. And they're calling it an energy absorbing crumple zone. They say going from the plane to a car takes about the same amount of time as putting down a convertible top. They say the cost on this thing right now, $194,000. So, they're keeping it under the $200,000 mark.

Now, there's a few things that will have to happen before it can actually enter production. First of all, it has to receive FAA certification. And National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has to test it before it goes into production.

And then you get into questions about the future. What happens when this thing actually hits the market? Where are you allowed to use it? Obviously, none of us wants to be on a crowded highway and suddenly see a car take off right overhead.

But eventually, the theory is, we move in this direction. We have relatively, hopefully, relatively green aircraft that can then take off and reduce some of the traffic on the ground. So, that's something pretty cool.

Another cool invention I want you to know about -- this one is already in existence but you have probably never seen it. Take a look here, 3D printing. In fact, before we get to the video, I want to show you this. There are actually actual printers now that will give you -- they'll spit out a 3D object.

In order to understand it, take a look at this from CNN Money. Here's a design that an architect might make, right? Architect puts together here what he wants to see, designing a building. He's thinking about some potential objects. And this is what we see in this video.

Now, let's go to the video I have for you. You're going to see what comes out of the actual printer -- a 3D object that is the design the person just made right there. It's incredibly cool and what happens is it doesn't just use paper. It has all sorts of different materials inside.

Now, that does not come out all at once but that can come out in pieces from these incredibly expensive 3D printers. Something you can get all the way up near six figures. Some of the cheaper ones are about $20,000.

And they're saying there they can even help medically if a doctor wants to quickly make a 3D printout or whatever you want to call it through the object that shows parts of someone's body. Study it a little better.

Two super cool inventions that we're telling you about. And I posted information for you on my Facebook page that you can see. Facebook.com/JoshLevsCNN. It's also up with Twitter, JoshLevsCNN.

So, what do you think, T.J.? Now that you've seen that car, make you feel a little bit better? HOLMES: None at all. It's odd, because again, most people can't drive well. So, now, they have to be a pilot. I've got to worry about this guy making lefts and rights and also, I got to worry about him flying? I don't know about that.

LEVS: Well, you know -- you know what? That's how we feel. But some day, our kids are going to think we are so old and ancient for even having these worries. Thirty years from now, it's probably going to be really normal to be a driver and a pilot.

HOLMES: One hundred and ninety-four thousand actually is keeper than a lot of cars. Lamborghini costs you more than that and it can only go down the highway.

LEVS: Yes. In fact, the only truly electric car out there that I really like cost $225,000.

HOLMES: Oh, wow.

LEVS: So, you know, it would be better with one of these.

HOLMES: Josh, thanks for the invention today.

LEVS: You got it.

HOLMES: Well, Clyde Anderson is going to be up. Clyde, can you top a flying car?

He's coming up next. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Twenty minutes past the hour here on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

It's a holiday weekend. A lot of people are going to go out and using that credit card in one way or the other. Maybe some good news on the way for you -- you know, you don't like some of those abusive practices by credit card companies. Well, the help is almost on the way.

To help us this morning, financial analyst Clyde Anderson here to explain.

Clyde, good morning to you kind, sir.

CLYDE ANDERSON, FINANCIAL ANALYST: Good morning. How are you?

HOLMES: I'm all right. And we're going to be doing a whole lot better when this thing goes into effect -- the CCARD Act.

ANDERSON: Yes.

HOLMES: Now, remind people what this was when the president signed it, it was last year.

ANDERSON: Last year in May, the CCARD Act is the Credit Card Accountability Responsibility Disclosure Act.

HOLMES: I'm impressed that you remembered all that.

ANDERSON: You like that?

HOLMES: All right.

(LAUGHTER)

ANDERSON: But it went into effect last May. And the whole thing is to prevent these excessive rate hikes and these excessive fees that credit card companies have been charging.

HOLMES: OK. This stuff that everybody hates, quite frankly.

ANDERSON: Exactly.

HOLMES: All right. He signed it. It was early or middle part of last year. It will actually kick in when?

ANDERSON: August is when all the components should be in place, August 22nd, to be exact. So, you really got to watch out for everything and kind of look and see what's changing, what's news.

HOLMES: Now, what are we going to notice first? I guess, what is the thing that probably is going to jump out at consumers, first off that -- OK, I like that?

ANDERSON: Well, one thing that I think consumers will like is the fact that on there, they're going to report, they'll show you how much you pay, the minimum amount you pay, how long it will take to pay it off. You know, that's one of the things.

But the thing that I think, the big thing is that, now, they have to give you 21 days, you know, in that billing cycle. So before they even have to do that, from the time they send out your statement, you've got 21 days in the billing cycle. And that's key.

Before, you know, they have 10 days, 15 days. A lot of people think they've got 30 days when they always don't.

(CROSSTALK)

ANDERSON: You don't always have 30 days. You've got to keep that in mind. And so, also provide a 45-day notice of any major changes like rate hikes or excessive fees that they're going to charge you. They've got to give you a 45-day notice before they do this and in writing.

HOLMES: Now, is that 45-day notice, is that going to come in that big old pamphlet? You know, you get this thing and it explains all these rules.

ANDERSON: Right.

HOLMES: You can't make heads to tails with that thing. ANDERSON: Now, it's so key that you've got to read that stuff. You've got to read the fine print. And don't think that junk mail is junk mail. Open that stuff and take a look at it because they can slip in that 45-day notice, the next thing you know, you've got, you know, a high interest rate and a whole bunch of fees coming.

HOLMES: And people are going to be shocked when they see how long it will take them to pay these things off if you're paying the minimum. We're talking years, and sometimes decades.

ANDERSON: Exactly. So, when you go into the stores and think that 15 percent discount is going to help you, you're paying for it, plus some.

HOLMES: All right. What else is in there?

ANDERSON: Yes.

HOLMES: Anything else? Give us little things.

ANDERSON: Yes. I mean, there are several things in there. A couple of things that we've got to look out for and I think we've got some tips that we could show you here and some of the things that we've be prepared for. I mean, the key is that you've really got to be informed; you've got to be educated.

And some of the things I really wanted to talk about, I want to really look at the -- talked about the 21 days, 45-day notice, but also, the penalties and late fees. They can only charge you one penalty at a time. So, in the past, they may have charged you a late fee and then they'll charge an over-the-limit fee because you went over the limit by a couple of dollars.

So, you've really got to look out for that. Also, they can cap the late fees now at $25. In the past, it was $50 or $60. Now, they're capping those. So, that's key.

HOLMES: OK. What are we not going to like? There's always some downside to these things. So, what is not so good news for us here?

ANDERSON: Well, I think the not-so-good news is that they can -- some of the things that they cannot do that you've got to really look out for, 29.99 percent interest rate.

HOLMES: OK.

ANDERSON: I mean, that's the highest they can charge you on a fixed rate. But what they can do is switch you over to a variable rate and take you higher. And all they have to do is give you that 45-day notice. So, you've got to be prepared and you've got to look out for that.

HOLMES: Now, is that going to be something that -- is that just kind -- was that missed in this act? And a kind of loophole?

ANDERSON: You know, they have to -- give and take. They gave some things and some things they had to take away.

I mean, you think about it. These credit card companies made billions of dollars off of these late fees. And so, it's key for them to have some sort of income. So, they're going to find ways to introduce new fees and things that really still hit you in the pocket.

So, the government kept a few of those things intact but, you know, still, it's a very dirty game. You really got to be prepared and watch out.

HOLMES: They do. This was millions of income for them. Now, besides that variable rate thing you just talked about with the interest rate -- probably, we need to watch for other fees and other ways that are coming because they're going to make that money.

ANDERSON: They're going to make the money and what they're doing is also, is everybody is not a profitable customer for them. So, what they're doing is cutting your limit.

So maybe, you know, you had a $5,000 limit. They'll cut that limit in half to $2,500 and they don't have to give you notice. So, if you already have a $2,500 balance, now, you're credit score is going to be hurt drastically because they cut your limit or they cut the card off because you're not making them money.

So, you got to be careful. Read the fine print. And don't think anything that you get is junk mail.

HOLMES: All right. Clyde, full of good information. Again, it goes into effect later this summer.

ANDERSON: Yes.

HOLMES: But still, some things you need to watch out for for some things that can help us out. Clyde, my man, happy Fourth to you this weekend.

ANDERSON: Same to you, sir.

HOLMES: We'll talk to you again soon.

Quick break here. We're going to look at some of the top stories right after this. It's 24 minutes past the hour here on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Coming up on the bottom of the hour now -- taking a look at some stories making headlines.

Authorities in Mexico arrested several drug gang suspects. And one of those suspects believed to be behind a shooting that killed a U.S. consulate employee and two other people.

Also, a massive oil tanker explosion in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Word is that 230 people are dead now. At least another 190 injured. According to a government spokesman the tanker flipped over, attempting to overtake a bus. One person who was allegedly smoking a cigarette caused the explosion, we're told.

And, again, 230 dead now. We're told that death toll could rise. This out of the Democratic Republic of Congo in central Africa.

Also, officials in South Africa now has dropped a drug charge against Paris Hilton, arrested on suspicion of marijuana possession after a World Cup match -- later released after photographer pleaded guilty to the charge. Her press people say that this is all a misunderstanding. Paris Hilton was not the one with any marijuana.

We're going to have more of your top stories -- more live news coming your way at the top of the hour here on CNN SATURDAY MORNING when we continue.

But first, time to hand it over to the good doctor, "SANJAY GUPTA, M.D." begins right now.