well, the party is on its way for this weekend. they are hoping. this beach is not closed. however, like many of the beaches along the gulf, it is under what they call a health advisory right now. we'll explain exactly what that means and if those kinds of warnings really are affecting tourism on what people are hoping is going to be a big weekend for the bars and restaurants and the beaches and the hotels along the gulf coast this holiday weekend. also, we're used to hearing a republican criticize the president. but when this republican did it now some republicans are calling for him to step down as the head of the republican national committee. yes, we're talking about the chairman there, michael steele. he's been under fire before and under fire once again maybe like no other time before. also, a story you just have to hear to believe. look at this. this is dash cam video. when we talk about dash cam we're usually talking about cops. this was a fake cop who was so good at being a fake cop he even had his own dash cam video. you know what else this fake cop did? he called for real backup. we'll explain that story in just a bit. let me give you a look at some of the stories making headlines. first, a horrific story. the democratic republic of congo this morning, at least 230 people are dead after an oil tanker flipped over and exploded. again, this is the drc in central africa. now, officials believe what happened here, it exploded because of a lit cigarette. it may have started this whole thing because after the oil tanker wrecked, many people then began to gather around it to try and recover some of the spilled oil and somebody they believe had a cigarette and set off this explosion. congolese police say they expect the number to go up. we'll keep an eye on what's happening there. also in tampa a man hunt for the suspect in the fatal shootings of two police officers. the search is now over. 24-year-old dante morris now in custody. you see him there. morris is suspected of killing two officers during a traffic stop early on tuesday morning. both officers being laid to rest a little later today. also in colombia police there say eight people are dead after a shooting at a night spot early yesterday. one of the dead identified as a man with dual u.s. and colombian citizenship. police say they believe the shooting was drug related. they are looking for two gunmen. we'll turn to afghanistan now where there is a new man on the job. that new man david petraeus just approved by the senate this week already in afghanistan and on the job replacing general stanley mcchrystal who was in charge but resigned last week in the wake of the whole magazine article flip. we go to kabul. hello to you once again. the general is on the job now, back in afghanistan, so what is his message? i know he's meeting with some of the troops on this 4th of july weekend. what message is he bringing on his first couple of days back on the job? >> reporter: well, hi, t.j. it is the first day on the job for general david patraeus as the top nato commander here in afghanistan. his day started out as any top nato commander's would. he went to the morning briefing, a daily briefing, and a nato spokesperson said he was actively engaged, asking questions, trying to get a lay of the land. that followed with him going to the u.s. embassy for 4th of july celebrations for him and the u.s. ambassador to afghanistan greeting 1700 dignitaries, afghan, american, and international dignitaries. that's also where he spoke. he said they need to show a united front to have success in afghanistan. >> i'm 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. >> reporter: t.j., as you mentioned he is meeting with troops this 4th of july weekend but most importantly a nato spokesperson said after the embassy event he was to meet with the top nato commanders on the ground here to get their understanding, their assessment of the situation in afghanistan and his most important meeting of the day will be with the president of afghanistan hamid karzai. karzai had a very strong relationship with general stanley mcchrystal who was dismissed as you mentioned just over a week ago and general patraeus's tough mission ahead is not just the war in afghanistan but building a relationship with president karzai so they can have some sort of unity with the coalition forces and the afghan government and bring back some sort of hope for the afghan people because that seems to be dimming as the war continues. >> and you talk about the relationship building that has to be done between the two men. he has really a more immediate problem which is the spike in violence we have seen. we're coming off a deadly, the deadliest month we have seen in quite sometime or we've ever seen there in this war. >> absolutely. 101 nato service members killed in the month of june. that's the highest amount since the war began in 2001. some people do expect it will get worse as the summer fighting continues. and it wasn't unexpected, t.j. general mcchrystal, himself, last summer as he introduced his new strategy, it was mcchrystal's strategy before it became president obama's strategy, he did say at first there would be more casualties but as they started gaining momentum and winning the war here in afghanistan those casualties will fall. unfortunately, that's not where it's at yet. t.j.? >> all right. we appreciate you as always. we want to turn now to the gulf coast and day 75 of this gulf oil disaster. the live picture hasn't changed much over the past 75 days because oil continues at this moment as it does and has been for the past 75 days gushing into the gulf of mexico. so where are we now? what's happening today? scientists plan on meeting with the epa to talk about these chemical dispersants. the first study showed the chemicals alone are not impacting marine life. however, you'll find plenty of people who argue with that theory. meanwhile, researchers still estimating between 35,000 and 60,000 barrels of oil have been gushing into the gulf every day since the april 20th explosion aboard the deepwater horizon rig. also, the remnants of hurricane alex still affecting cleanup efforts. rough waters caused the cap to wobble down there. the cap that's on top of the oil. and that is causing more of the oil to escape. they had been capturing more but an estimated 20,000 fewer barrels were collected as a result of some of that wobbling. that's the situation there under water. what's the situaon on the beaches? supposed to be a big beach weekend this weekend. it's the 4th of july. this is when a lot of those businesses make their money but some tourists are not going to the beaches. some still are despite the reports of tar balls that we have been seeing showing up. meteorologist reynolds wolf is live from gulf shores, alabama today. beautiful as always but just the shot behind you doesn't tell the whole story at least in the minds of many people, potential tourists. >> reporter: that's right, t.j. you know, when you step back from things it does look pretty appealing. this is a beautiful beach. 32 miles of pristine beaches, some of the best on the planet. but if you take a step back, not just physically but in time, memory, a year ago we're talking about beaches where hotels were filled to capacity. you couldn't get a room. but now you get places that are only about 70% to 50% full, rooms that last year were selling for $225 now are down to $150 a pop. they're having a really difficult time bringing people in. certainly hoping for the best. you know, you have to think it's not just the hotels we're talking about. it's restaurants, gas stations, places where you buy souvenirs, charter fishing all impacted by not only things like the economy or even the high unemployment but, of course, the oil. the oil is going to be a tremendous issue. so what do you do? well, you do the very best with what you have and that's what they've been doing here. i can tell you we've seen crews out here, in fact we've got some video showing you many of the tractors that have been coming through here really before the sun came up and certainly as i speak we saw people out there on tractors going up and down the beach trying to remove the oil as it's been coming onshore. doing a pretty good job, all things considered. things are looking the very best they can. at one point a $1 billion industry. this is certainly a desperate time. t.j.? >> reynolds, i know a lot of these beaches aren't closed but they have different ways of warning people. if you come to the beach at least you need to be looking out for this or that. some areas as well you can't get into the water. what's the situation at the beach where you are right now? >> reporter: well, what you see is not only the activities but you'll notice some parts of the beach have double red flags. not one but two red flags. it means that the beach is open but you can't get in the water. the reason why you can't get in the water is obviously twofold. one, because of the oil but the second is because we have very rough surf out there, too. one thing interesting about the surf, it kind of has some positive aspects. negative, too, because it's going to help push some of the oil toward the coast but at the same time that heavy wave action will help break up some of the emulsified oil. so there is a benefit. you got to like it. of course the side effect of bringing more oil towards shore not at all what they want to deal with. >> all right. reynolds, we appreciate you as always. we'll be checking in with reynolds plenty throughout the morning. thanks so much. we want to check in with bonnie schneider as well keeping an eye on the maps here. the maps, we'll see the fireworks map in a second. >> yes. >> i am such a fan of that this morning. still, these are not the right kind of fireworks right now. some people need to be watching out for tough weather. >> that's right. you saw where reynolds was standing we do have low clouds along the gulf coast right now and it's not just the remnants of alex that's kicking up the wind and the waves along the gulf coast but a new area of low pressure has emerged, broad area of low pressure just to the south of the panhandle of florida. now, the national hurricane center is monitoring this for development but they say it's not very likely. a low chance, 10% or less, and that means that we are going to probably just be seeing this kick up showers and thunderstorms for much of the region. i want to break it down and show you some of the beaches. first off in alabama, you can see that most of them have advisories. fort morgan is closed because of significant oilg but you see advisories, it's just no swimming but you can go to the beach as reynolds has been reported. some of the areas have openings and some say no swimming. keep that in mind. looking at mississippi advisories, gulf shores also closed some of the beaches, avoid contact with oil. that certainly goes without saying but it's a good reminder. as we head further to the east to florida we'll see some of the beaches are completely open and there is some swimming allowed including pensacola says use caution. we have a live picture of pensacola to show you what it looks like. outside right now this morning. destin has advisories, avoid oil. we're also looking at panama city beach, which is also open but you could see some tar balls out there as well. all right. that was a live picture of pensacola. some of the beaches are open. this is the breakdown. t.j., since you asked, so kindly, we'll show you the 4th of july with the fireworks for you. it is looking good. just keep in mind it's going to be very hot in the northeast. we're looking at temperatures also in the mid-atlantic soaring into the mid to upper 90s tomorrow. so big heat wave for the 4th just in time for the fireworks. >> just in time for the fireworks. yes, and you can do everything with these maps these days and i appreciate it. thank you. we here at cnn just love it when you send us an e-mail. but don't do it while you're driving. we'll tell you where it's now against the law. some new rules. also, imagine what it's like seeing your parents on the news accused of being russian spies. what's going to happen to the kids in this true life saga? 12 minutes past the hour here on cnn. to your eyes with transitions lenses. transitions adapt to changing light so you see a whole day comfortably and conveniently while protecting your eyes from the sun. ask your eyecare professional which transitions lenses are right for you. female announcer: ask your eyecare professional for your transitions lenses certificate of authenticity for your chance to win back the purchase price of your eyeglasses. oh, phillips' colon health probiotic plus fiber. how's it work? ok, she's gas. he's constipation... why am i constipation? ...he's diarrhea. and our special fiber helps our probiotics so that you can show those symptoms who's in charge. this isn't even my floor. 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[ bell rings ] that's amazing! i trained him myself. i meant the... okay. same coverage, more savings. now, that's progressive. call or click today. 16 minutes past the hour on this cnn saturday morning. a lot of you do it. you'll be doing it today and it will probably be illegal wherever you are. you can't text and drive anymore in a lot of places. you need to stop. we're here to tell you which states this went into effect. these laws, some stuff you might not even think about but you can't even do it while you're stopped sometimes at a red light. >> they're cracking down big time and that is a change. we're seeing more and more states. we have some video of people doing it but as of this week july 1, four more states have enacted their laws, georgia, iowa, michigan, and wyoming banning in various ways and establishing various kinds of penalties texting while behind the wheel at all. and kentucky and nebraska are jumping into it as well later this month. in some cases you have states that have already had various kinds of laws and are making them more stringent or adding penalties. more and more all over the country authorities are cracking down on this. then there are questions raised about how they'll manage to enforce it. in some cases you could still if you're stopped make a phone call as long as you're going to use your speaker phone. how does a police officer know if you're looking at a text or making a phone call? there are various questions. let me give you some statistics and show you how to find out what's going on in your state. according to the insurance institute for highway safety they are saying texting while driving banned in 29 states and d.c., banned from novice drivers in nine more states. they also say at least 200,000 crashes a year are caused by drivers texting. i have placed a map for you at my web page. here you go. this is it. it shows you, from the institute of highway safety, it shows you right here you can click on your state. it will show you what the laws are in your state and give you a full breakdown right there. so, t.j., what we are seeing is more and more states taking action because of the seriousness of this. >> does anybody take this stuff seriously, though, josh, quite frankly? i don't know a single person who has been stopped because they were texting or e-mailing. >> it's tricky and that is a big question. a, what you're going to do about enforcement. there are also questions about whether in the big picture it makes the kind of difference it should. take a look at this. this is from the highway loss data institute. they looked at this study. it finds no reductions in crashes after hand-held phone bans. they looked at various states and found no reduction in crashes. when this study came out and this was a report earlier this year the government got really upset about that and called it irresponsible because what they said is that these things are new. they take time. this is only the beginning and they need to be heavily enforced. in fact, here is a statement from the department of transportation. they said, we know that by enacting and enforcing tough laws states have reduced the number of crashes leading to injuries and fatalities. t.j., you're really on to something there. how seriously do people take it? how do people enforce it? how can police enforce it that well? ultimately, big picture, will it do much to reduce crashes in america? the truth is we don't know. >> just don't know. it went into effect in georgia this week as well. we saw the signs up on the highway that in fact you can't do it anymore. a lot of people probably didn't even see that because they were looking down and texting at the time. >> that's true. >> seriously. josh, thank you so much. we'll talk to you again this morning. coming up on 20 minutes past the hour now, if the menu says gulf shrimp what you going to do? you going to go for it? a restaurant owner is having to help his customers make some decisions. he'll be joining us live, next. also, we couldn't believe this one. we were scratching our heads as we looked at this and read this story today. that's a fake cop there but he's a good fake cop because he even has his own dash board camera and that's what you're looking at. he had his own dash cam as he was pulling people over. this is the trick now. the bogus cop is calling in real backup when he needed some help. stick around for this one. [ male announcer ] when we built our first hybrid, youtube didn't exist. and facebook was still run out of a dorm room. when we built our first hybrid, more people had landlines than cell phones, and gas was $1.75 a gallon. and now, while other luxury carmakers are building their first hybrids, lexus hybrids have traveled 5.5 billion miles. and that's quite a head start. ♪ taking a look at some of the stories making headlines this morning, at least 230 people are dead after an oil tanker flips and explodes in the democratic republic of congo. officials believe a lit cigarette may have ignited the inferno as local residents gathered around and tried to recover the spilled oil. congolese authorities expect the number of dead to go up. we'll turn to afghanistan now and general patraeus has arrived and is on the job now. he joined u.s. diplomats today at an american embassy in kabul marking independence day. he is arriving at a time when we've seen increased violence and last month was the deadliest for u.s. and nato forces in that nine-year war. the same day general patraeus arrived militants attacked a u.s. aid agency killing five people wounding 20. no americans among those dead. last month again was the deadliest since the war started. also, mogadishu, six people dead in fighting on friday between hard line islamists and government forces. at least 32 people killed there in three days. government forces fighting members of a militant group. about 200,000 somalis have fled their homes this year. eight journalists at a news conference were critically wounded as well. we are on day 75 now of the gulf oil disaster. a lot of people out there love their gulf seafood. you may have noticed if you've been dipping into some of those restaurants along the gulf some of the things on those menus may be a little different. some of them may be gone all together. bp oil leak isn't just affecting restaurants along the shore, however. you don't have to be right on the water to be affected. frank stitt owner of several restaurants in birmingham knows about all the changes and what you have to deal with now in this oil disaster. his highlands bar and grill described as show casing gulf seafood. frank, are you still show casing gulf seafood? are you able to do that still? >> well, we are, but it's all on kind of a day-to-day, week-to-week thing. i'm still working very closely with my purveyors that are everywhere from apalachicola to new orleans and so we're still getting great seafood but, you know, some things are not as available like oysters and crab meat is getting a little iffy, too. >> give us an idea here. i know you told me about this oyster bar you have set up at the highlands restaurant, been there 27 years i think i have that right. but everybody loves this oyster bar. give me an idea before this spill ever happened. let's go back some 76 days ago. what percentage of those oysters did you have in that restaurant that were from the gulf? what percentage now are you serving from the gulf? >> t.j., we've always had our apalachicola oysters and occasionally we'll have louisiana oysters on the raw bar but we always also have east coast oysters and as you say yankee oysters but the oysters from prince edward island, from massachusetts, from new england. but it's our, the gallon gulf oysters we use for our specialties and those injure sho are in short supply right now. >> are people still coming in as great numbers as they used to but asking questions about where your seafood came from and are they concerned about the seafood you are getting from the gulf? >> well, certainly. certainly. you know, i think everybody needs to be tuned into the origins of their food but as far as our seafood, we're buying from people that their seafood is inspected, coming from waters that are clean, and you know these boats that go out into the gulf, they have a monitor on them. it's like a gps. so that everyone knows where they are when they're fishing. so they're going to the clean parts of the gulf to get fish now. so they can go straight down from apalachicola and even on the west side of louisiana towards texas and there is still wonderful, open, clear water there. but we don't know what's going to happen in the future because this is really one of the biggest disasters ever. >> to that point you just made, frank, i talked to a chef down here in new orleans and he said in fact, yes, we track this stuff from exactly where it's caught to the time it gets on somebody's plate. right now this is the safest seafood you can find if it comes out of the gulf because of the way it has to be tracked. what do you see week to week to week and where are we going with this thing as it continues? is it going to be tougher and tougher for you to continue to be serving gulf seafood? >> well, you know, that's a big unknown. right now so many of the fishing boats are not going fishing because bp is paying them so much money to do some work for them. i anticipate things like crab meat and shrimp and oysters it's going to be tricky. we are going to have to source from the east coast, you know, right now we do have seafood flown in directly to us, say wild king salmon from the northwest. but it's our gulf seafood that i love and that i feel like has been such a big part of our life as southerners. you know, i think maybe if there's one thing that can come from it, maybe we'll learn that we can take a little bit better care of our seas and our land and be a little more conscious about conservation. >> frank, the menu hasn't changed yet. right? >> not yet. even though i haven't had any pompano lately. >> all right. well, frank stitt, again, owner of highlands bar and grill and several other restaurants as well. next time i'm in birmingham i will stop by and see you guys. thanks so much. good luck to you down the road. we'll continue to check in. >> certainly. come see us. >> thanks so much. coming up on the bottom of the hour on cnn saturday morning, some people at his own party starting to turn against him. trouble, i should say more trouble for the republican national committee chairman michael steele. will he be able to weather this storm? also, world cup fans out there, i know a lot of people may not be watching because the u.s. is no longer in it, but let me tell you what you missed yesterday, folks. you missed what was the most heart wrenching, heart breaking loss i have ever seen in a sporting event ever. and on top of that another big story out of the world cup the powerhouse brazil team is going back to brazil. they're out already. we are going to be going live to johannesburg, south africa. stay with us. ♪ ♪ when you have a different perspective on things you don't end up with just another car. you end up with a saab. we're back with cnn saturday morning. the rnc chairman michael steele once again under fire for some comments this time about the afghanistan war. he essentially said it was unwinnable. he said it thursday night at a fundraiser. let's bring in our deputy political director paul stein hauser joining me live to talk about this one. it seems we're always talking about something mr. steele has said. he has said something else that set people off. teeth this up for us. >> after a year and a half as chairman it seems michael steele finds controversy or controversy finds him. here we are again. as to what he said on the war in afghanistan he said, specifically, this was a war of obama's choosing. this was not something the united states actively prosecuted or wanted to engage in. in describing the war and the conflict he kind of suggested maybe it was unwinnable. he said one thing you don't do is engage in a land war in afghanistan. all right? because everyone who has tried over a thousand years of history has failed. t.j., as you can imagine these comments of course were recorded and of course they hit youtube and of course they went viral. the democrats had a field day on this as early as yesterday morning. it was a gift for them. the rnc put out a statement reaffirming that of course steele supports the troops and steele was merely making the point that the responsibility for the war now stands solely on president obama. steele himself later in the day said he supports the war on terror but, boom, it was trouble, t.j. >> okay. it seems like ever since he got that post people have called on him to resign. are we hearing that once again people want him to step down and also explain why it's not that simple for him to just be removed? >> there were calls yesterday for him to resign from a couple top conservatives right here in washington, william kristol the editor of "the weekly standard" who is pretty influential here in washington. liz cheney the daughter of the former vice president as well and a guy who used to be the head of the republican party in south carolina and a rival of steele. they all called for it but, t.j., there was no ground swell, no chorus of calls for his resignation from republicans in congress or more importantly members of the republican national convention. that's the only way he can really be ousted. committee members would have to vote or he himself would resign. none of that happening as of right now. >> this one feel any different? he has weathered a few storms before but this one feel any different from the others? >> yeah. here's why. his initial comments before the -- before he corrected some of them -- his initial comments seemed to put him out of whack with the republican party. t.j., every poll taken just about suggests republicans support the war in afghanistan. they did under president bush. they do under president obama. and republican lawmakers in congress are actually president obama's biggest allies when it comes to the war in afghanistan much more so than even members of his own party so his initial comments seemed to put him a little out of whack with his own party. >> all right. paul steinhauser, again, michael steele. seems like you've done this story plenty of times and we've had this conversation but we appreciate you as always. talk to you again soon, buddy. >> thank you. world cup fans, maybe you're not a world cup fan but you missed something special yelled. it w it was special in the worst of ways for the continent of africa. last play of the game. you make it you win. you miss it you lose. this was incredible and one of the saddest things i've ever seen in all of sports. you'll see it in a second. also in sports, a different type of story. the wesweepstakes continue for that man, mr. cleveland himself, the king, might be leaving. sweepstakes continue. haven't seen as much hype over one person since our business and sports analyst got people all aflutter. there he is. we'll check in with our guy here in just a moment. low tide. all right. $750 million is the number being thrown around about how much tiger woods would have to pay his wife in a divorce settlement. we'll get moore to that number in a bit. pretty sure it's not accurate but we'll tell you what he might be looking at. also the big sports story this weekend is about nba free agency. that's something you normally wouldn't think that much about but it's a big deal because each of these guys wherever they end up, they're going to take a whole lot of money to their individual cities with them. this is one of the biggest free agent classes in history and in that free agent class is the man himself the two-time mvp lebron james. joining us this morning, another guy who knows a bit about being sought after. our business sports analyst. rick, good morning to you kind sir. this is not just about basketball anymore and people need to understand that. this is not just helping a team win. it could help a city recover. >> good morning. thank you for being so nice to me. happy july 4th weekend. keep that up. it'll serve you well in upcoming segments by the way. i also want you to understand that this is a walking, talking, free-throw shooting, one man stimulus plan as we've said before. bottom line is the president wants him in chicago. governor strickland wants him in ohio. mayor bloomberg says we may change the name of the burough to lebronx. yeah we want him in brooklyn. we want him in miami. billions of dollars potentially over time and a feel good issue. this person is sought after. he's an industry. he's an industry but other guys in this free agent class as well, can they have the same type of impact as lebron can? we're talking about dwayne wade, chris bosh, dirk nowitzki, all those guys. >> you put the graphic up. it is the biggest free agent class as you said ever. nba is a $4 billion industry itself and it's based on superstars. that's the bottom line of all of this. when you take a look at those people, yeah. they can be a supporting cast that helps dwayne wade if a second one of these players goes to the team dwayne wade signs with and for dwayne wade and all of these guys it's not so much about the money. yeah they can get $16 million a year and get a five-year deal. dwayne wade can get an extra year, excuse me, lebron james can get an extra year if he stays in cleveland. all of these guys get one extra year if they sign with their existing team. but if they go with lebron it may help win a championship and that's what it's all about as well. >> last thing on this topic, is it fair to say cleveland needs him more than any other city? >> an, well, it depends who else you're talking to. cleveland certainly needs him to sustain the momentum and have a chance to win a championship but the other cities would say we need him, too. brooklyn needs urban revitalization. new york knicks have been bad for so many years. the miami heat needs a complement to dwayne wade and on and on. he is so important that everybody needs him. it feels good to be needed doesn't it? >> i wouldn't know what it feels like. last thing, rick. on this tiger woods story, this sparked all the debate once again. people have these conversations. how much did a woman get when she divorces a super rich husband. people have those conversations at dinner tables, with your friends, talk radio, all that stuff. but the number itself, $750 million. i don't know where that number came from. but tiger is not worth $750 million according to "forbes" at least. what could we possibly be looking at in a split and would that take the top spot in most expensive celebrity divorces? >> a lot of questions. some say he is worth over a billion. certainly elin's lawyer said so. then the half of it, that's the 750. not just today but future earning power. where that ranks in top athlete and celebrity divorces, you know, next was michael jordan about $180 million. behind that greg norman. you have michael strahan, jeff gordon, mike tyson, lance armstrong, the 15, $20 million range. nothing comes close to that. we'll see what the final number is but it is prolific. it is huge. >> all right. good talking to you today, rick. really. appreciate it. >> yeah. i'm coming away today warm and fuzzy. can't wait for next week. >> that is outstanding. you enjoy your 4th of july. >> you, too, my very good friend. good-bye. see you next week. >> thanks, buddy. the world cup continues. big game about to happen in south africa. it's happening in about an hour. this is going to be a classic showdown with some world cup royalty. alex thomas joining me again from johannesburg, south africa. we're talking about germany and argentina. now, put that in context. anywhere besides the u.s., you probably wouldn't have to put the game in context. people just hear these two teams and know this is a big deal. put it in context for our american viewers. >> reporter: yeah, i mean, they are the new york yankees aren't they of world soccer, let's face it, two massive brand names in terms of the sport globally. germany won the world cup three times, argentina twice in history. they're both, you know, provided with massive players down the years, especially for germany, a chap won the world cup both as a player and manager, the only one to do that. brazil's do you thi brazil's player was hoping to do the same. germany and argentina met twice in the world cup finals, in 1986 in mexico and in 1990 in italy. in 1986 it was argentina's year led by the coach of the current team but back then he was simply a genius player bursting onto the scene. he's now compared with the likes of pele and four years later germany got their revenge beating argentina in the final so we're not necessarily looking at the most thrilling game though on the tweets today i've been proved wrong by some people watching who claim it could be a real thriller. we had two very exciting quarterfinals on friday. it's going to take a lot for argentina. they certainly have the pedigree, t.j. >> let's turn to the two quarterfinals. one was heart breaking for everybody who was watching. the other was heart breaking for folks in brazil. let's start with what we saw with ghana. this was the last hope for the continent of africa. the only team still alive in it out of six who actually got in. but it's not just that they lost. alex, it was the way they lost. >> reporter: absolutely. they had so much pressure going into the game. it was taking place at soccer city stadium in johannesburg. and it's where the final is going to be played. ghana would have loved to have been there. no african side has ever reached the semifinals or better of a soccer world cup. ghana really had a chance to get there against uruguay. because of the results earlier in the world cup there was no big nation with respect to europe. and it was ghana leading 1-0 at halftime after a goal. got back into it when they scored in the second half. the scores were still tied after 90 minutes. we have 30 minutes of extra time. then the dying, dying seconds at the end of the game one of the uruguayn players handled the ball, stopping a certain ghana goal. suarez was sent off, ghana given a penalty kick from six yards away. it was ghana's top scorer who missed the penalty and the penalty shootout that resulted, uruguay won. the whole of africa, really holding their breaths over that one. >> as you were talking through it you were following with the video there almost exactly as you were describing it. it was a tough, tough way to go out and tough to watch that. alex thomas, we appreciate you there. know another exciting day there at south africa. you enjoy it. talk to you again soon, buddy. >> thanks, t.j. well, the news for the gulf coast not all bad. take a look at new orleans there. it's probably hot as all get out in new orleans. it's 90 degrees at like 6:00 in the morning. this is super dome. a lot of people going to be gathering there this weekend not just, you know, to celebrate the 4th but going specifically for an annual festival. among those attending, janet jackson. hey there. welcome distraction from the oil disaster in louisiana. they're going to be rocking out in the super dome. take a look now live for the 16th annual essence music festival taking place there. the perfect opportunity maybe to bring cash into the struggling city. something janet jackson agreed with when she spoke to our richelle carey of our sister network hln. >> reporter: what does the essence music festival and everything else about it, everything else that goes with it, the seminars, the talk about family relationships, what does it mean to you? >> i think it means a great deal, a great deal to the community especially here in new orleans with everything that's gone on, all the devastation that they've had. it brings money into the city. people from all over the country are coming to the festival and for it to happen here i think that's important for new orleans and i think it gives people the opportunity to really see what new orleans is really about. >> you know the essence festival has contributed in that way for years and years to new orleans. back in '07 it was the festival returned to that city after hurricane katrina and now here it is having its first festival since the latest dupuis oil dis. other headliners this weekend, alicia keyes, a little earth, wind, and fire action for you as the festival goes on this weekend. well, no p better time to become a citizen of the united states than on the weekend america celebrates a birthday. ten minutes to the top of the hour here on this cnn saturday morning. ♪ this weekend hundreds of people making their allegiance to the u.s. official. in indiana take a look. 90 people from 37 countries sworn in as new american citizens yesterday. elsewhere hundreds of military personnel also taking the oath. >> i just wanted to serve this country that's given me everything i got today. >> some 300 service members representing all branches of the armed forces took the oath in san diego yesterday. that was the largest all military naturalization ceremony in history. the story we've been telling you a bit about this morning, all you fake cops out there, okay. i don't know if fake cops watch this show. i don't know how many are out there. if you were a fake cop the last thing you want to do is call real backup. this actually happened, folks. 52 minutes past the hour. we'll explain right after this break. over a thousand people a day are switching to chevy. they like that vehicles like the 2010 malibu, traverse and silverado half-ton have each been named a consumers digest best buy. they like that chevy backs the quality with a one-hundred- thousand mile powertrain warranty. they're not just trading in, they're trading up. qualified lessees now get a low mileage lease on this malibu ls for around one ninety-nine a month. call for details. the switch to chevy starts at chevydealer.com. all right. about five minutes to the top of the hour here on this cnn saturday morning. we've been telling you about this guy accused of being a fake cop. louisiana police have arrested a man they say posed as an officer. they say he had a badge, a gun, everything he needed when he made a traffic stop. our affiliate wdsu picks up the story for us now. >> the fact that he's driving around, stopping people, impersonating an officer, carrying this kind of weapon. >> reporter: shortly before 3:00 friday morning 56-year-old herman justice pulled a woman over. he says for changing lanes improperly. but this was far from a routine traffic stop. you can see from the dash camera on justice's vehicle he approached the woman with a gun, demanding she get out of her car. then he called state police for help with the traffic stop. while he waited for backup -- >> he goes back to the car, gets a pit bull, and is standing guard of an unarmed young lady with her hands on the back of the car with an asp in one hand and a pit bull in the other. >> reporter: when state troopers arrived they determined justice was not a police officer and called jefferson parish deputies. deputies searched his car and found an arsenal of weapons including a rifle, shotgun, assault weapons, knives, and 446 rounds of live ammunition. >> a police officer is not going to pull his gun out on a traffic stop. he is going to walk up to the car cautiously. >> reporter: wdsu crime and safety expert howard robertson says there are signs to look for to help you distinguish between an officer and an impersonator. uniform or not, every officer has three forms of i.d. on them -- a badge to where so you can see it, i.d. card, and formal i.d. if an unmarked car is signaling you to pull over robertson says stop in a well lit area and call 911. >> if it's not a marked car and you aren't sure don't stop. keep going. the reason i tell them to call 911 is so they will radio the car and the police car will not think they're trying to get away. >> the man's name is actually herman justice. that is his name. he is now facing charges of false impersonation of a police officer, also aggravated assault. can't make this stuff up, folks. they are the children of alleged russian spies and we are told they never knew what was going on. a lot of people worried about what happens to those kids now. also just in time for this weekend. vampires. can somebody please -- i need help understanding this "twilight" thing. i'm not up on it. please. somebody. help me out. ♪ i can't wait to fall in love with you ♪ ♪ you can't wait to fall in love with me ♪ "twilight." i'm not there yet but apparently this thing is huge. the "twilight" phenomenon we can call it now continues to grow. the third installment in this blockbuster franchise hit theaters this weekend. actually hit i think on midnight wednesday people started going to see this thing. we're checking in to see how "eclipse" stacks up against its competition and also what lies ahead. >> reporter: more like an empire. thousands of fans are packing into theaters to watch vampires battle werewolves in "twilight eclipse" the third film in the hugely popular saga already earning millions at the box office, adding to what has quickly become a blockbuster franchise. >> the "twilight" empire includes so many things. >> reporter: lacy rhodes from "forbes" magazine says the four books have sold roughly 100 million copies and the first two films "twilight" and "new moon" have earned more than a billion dollars worldwide. >> what i think makes this movie or this franchise quite unique is just how cheap it was to make and how it took these stars who were little known before they started with this into household names. >> doesn't he own a shirt? >> reporter: household names and wealthy heart throbs. stars robert pattinson, taylor lautner, and kristen stewart have all taken a bite out of the "twilight" phenomenon. according to "forbes" stewart and pattinson earned $12 million and $17 million respectively in the last year. a majority coming from the "twilight" movies. >> you have to realize who you are. >> reporter: if a billion dollar book-to-film franchise about supernatural teenagers sounds familiar that's because it is. "harry potter" also went from a book series to a massively successful string of movies but as rose explains, there is a big difference between these love-struck vampires and the boy wizard. >> the first three "twilight" movies cost less than $170 million to make. just for comparison's sake the last "harry potter" flick "half blood prince" cost a reported $250 million. so with the "twilight" movies it's a real big bang for the buck. >> reporter: no empire would be successful without its loyal subjects. in this case it's the "twilight" fans or twihards. many of whom camped out in los angeles days before the "eclipse" premiere and lined up outside theaters just to get tickets to midnight showings. dedication, taylor lautner still finds astonishing. >> it's just hard to believe. it is. i mean, i do believe it when i see the fans and see their passion but it's unreal so we wouldn't be here without them. >> reporter: fans still yearning for more. many wonder how much more gas is in the "twilight" tank. >> they'll continue to extend it in every way possible. you'll see two more movies. you'll see multiple sponsorship deals and you'll see that many more opportunities for the stars, themselves. >> and more opportunities for audiences to sink their teeth into another of hollywood's ever expanding franchises. hello everybody. top of the hour here now. want to take a look at some of the stories making headlines including a horrible story out of the democratic republic of congo. 230 people dead there after an oil tanker explodes following a traffic accident. congolese authorities say people after this tanker wrecked were actually gathering around it and trying to collect the spilled oil from that tanker. they believe someone there was smoking a cigarette and that lit cigarette may have ignited this explosion. general patraeus is the new commander over in afghanistan. he is on the job now meeting the troops. patraeus takes the reins following the ousting or retirement i should say or resignation of general stanley mcchrystal and also following what has been the deadliest month in the nine-year conflict for u.s. and nato forces. police in tampa say a third party helped turn a suspect in who was wanted in the fatal shootings of two police officers. dante morris was a suspect of an intensive, four-day man hunt after the tuesday morning shootings. funerals for the two slain officers are set for a little later today. we are on day 75 now. you're seeing a live picture of what we've been seeing for the past 75 days. this, the oil continuing to gush into the gulf of mexico. scientists, what are they doing today? they're meeting with the epa to discuss chemical dispersants. there was a study done on some of these things which have been controversial but they found in the study that the chemicals alone don't impact marine life. researchers estimate between 35,000 and 60,000 barrels of oil have been gushing into the gulf every day since the explosion back on april 20th. the remnants of hurricane alex still causing a problem for these cleanup efforts. rough waters actually caused the cap to bounce around that's on top of the oil spill down there on top of the leak. made it difficult to capture all the oil they had been capturing so some 20,000 fewer barrels of oil were captured. now, one of the biggest issues this weekend is tourism. this is a big beach weekend. a lot of people down there with the restaurants, bars, hotels, reynolds, have been affected. some people starting to gather there on the beach as always but what are folks down there, reynolds, in gulf shores, expecting of this weekend? >> reporter: well, they're expecting a turnout. it may not be as big as we've seen over the last couple years. last year things were filled to capacity, all the hotels sold out. this year not quite so much. it is a $1.1 billion industry, tourism here along the gulf coast. here in gulf shores you've got 32 miles of pristine beaches, obviously it's taken a hit from some of the oil. they've been working around the clock to make sure things are picture perfect. thankfully we've got grant with us, the gulf shores director of recreation. it has been very busy. maybe not a lot of tourists out there but we've had a lot of activity. >> we've had activity all night long as normal. we got a little rain last night and the night before which slows it down a bit but the crews have been out all night long making sure the beaches are as clean and smooth as possible. we expect a big weekend this weekend. >> reporter: what exactly are these guys doing behind us specifically? >> when the material comes in it comes in as globs, tar balls. the screens go through, sift the sand, and put the sand back on the beach and take the material off the beach, cleaning the beach behind them. >> it seems it works efficiently. these guys come in, knock it out, leave pristine sand. is this one of the things that should encourage people? what would you tell somebody thinking about coming here? >> i would sure invite them to come down and see what's happening. we have tourists that have come for years and years and families. we still need you to come down. what you'll see here at the beach you'll see generally clean beaches. some days there will be material, some days there will be cleanup crews working on the beaches. some days you may not be able to swim but you can sure come down and enjoy the seafood restaurants and the other activities in town and if you're here for tomorrow the 4th of july we will have a spectacular fireworks display. >> reporter: what time does that get under way? >> 9:00 central here in gulf shores and we'll have a barge south of the beach 9:00 sharp. also simulcast with our local radio station so you can listen to the patriotic music and have fireworks at the same time. >> reporter: it's a patriotic time, an important thing you're doing out here. these guys have been working very hard. back to what we were talking about in terms of the cleanup efforts, what's interesting is they're not only cleaning up oil but they have to keep their eye out for globs of oil but also for animals like turtles don't they? >> we do. this process happens at night generally. at night is when turtles come out of the gulf, lay their eggs onshore and then go back into the water soechlt . so if there aren't watchers ahead of the machines they can't see where the turtles are laying their eggs so save the beach turtle watchers accompany the cleanup crews then they identify the nests and at some point take the nests and relocate them to make sure the baby turtles have a good chance of survival. they'll relocate them along the coast. >> coming from a guy who's a great golf they're would be like keeping your eye on the ball. you're watching everything, the cleanup, the animals, doing the best you can for the tourists. >> we sure are. we have the machines at night, during the day we have people that help us clean out the tide pools. when you get high surf conditions you get tide pools and the machines aren't effective in the water. so between the people with the hand tools and the machines at night, there are hundreds, literally thousands of people here along the coast cleaning these beaches on a daily basis. that's good for the environment. we don't want this material to get down into the sand too deep. we have to come back at the end of this process and continue to keep sifting to make sure the materials are removed. >> reporter: in tv we call that a wrap. thank you so much for coming by and talking to us. good luck to you guys. again, t.j., they're working awfully hard. come on down to the beach, folks. things are still beautiful. they could certainly use you and your business and they'll have quite a show for the 4th of july. back to you in the studio. >> you talked about this being a very patriotic time. a lot of people say the most patriotic thing you can do right now is support your fellow american. get down to the gulf and support those folks just by visiting, having a meal, staying in a hotel. >> reporter: absolutely. >> reynolds wolf, thank you. giving us an idea of things along the coast in alabama. what's happening in florida, particularly panama city beach? an important time for them there as well. let's turn to a man we had on a couple weeks ago and talked to us about how they're doing. we'll check back in with dan rowe. he is the president of the panama city convention and tourism bureau joining us now on the phone. sir, we had you here. thanks for being here again. we had you here a month ago. tell me the difference and how things are in panama city as far as oil, tar balls, and what not. what difference has the month made since we talked to you? >> well, t.j., we've had a few tar balls start washing up on the beach just about exactly two weeks ago. we have escaped most of the major impacts from the oil spill. winds have been predominantly coming out of the southeast which is continuing to push the oil away from panama city beach so our beaches are absolutely beautiful. i can attest to the guys from gulf shores, the cleanup crews are on it and pick it up to make sure there is minimal impact to vacationers. >> tell us what this weekend the 4th of july weekend, this holiday, means to that area as far as money making throughout the year and tourism. >> about half of our tourism revenues come during the months of june, july, and august, but the 4th of july is absolutely the most important weekend we have in our entire travel schedule. this is the weekend where the hotels and condos absolutely just completely fill up and, i mean, it's very, very important to our industry. >> dan, just there on that point i wanted to stop you. you said this is the weekend they fill up normally. how is it right now though? >> right now we're going to have a very good weekend at the beach. the beaches are clean. we don't expect we'll sell out. if there is anybody on the fence whether they need to get away for a few days i encourage them to get in their car, get on an airplane, and get down here. it is a gorgeous beach weekend. right now just isolated thundershowers in the afternoon but right now sunshine, blue skies, and emerald green waters i love that you're able to make a pitch there. what about any restrictions on the beach right now? we know there are several different reports on beaches even though they're not closed there are tar balls and some advisories and at some places you can't get into the water. what about there in panama city? >> panama city beach the beaches are absolutely wide open, no restrictions. we've had some rough surf for the last couple days so there are rip currents so, you know, our swimmers need to make sure they check the flag system before going in the water. i'm standing on the beach right now and it is glorious here. >> glorious. all right. dan, one last thing here. do you think, what kind of headway have you made in that psychological battle? you've been putting out campaigns, several other beaches have as well trying to get at people's heads, hey, we are open and you can still come here but a lot of people turned off by the idea of a couple tar balls showing up. what kind of headway have you made in that psychological battle you're trying to win? >> i have to tell you, i am so appreciative of the visitors that have made panama city beach and the gulf coast their beaches of choice because visitors are coming and they are hanging in there with us and i think that we are getting the word out and we are, you know, it is a battle and i think that we are staying ahead of it. i think that it really goes back to the visitors. they're the ones making those decisions for their hard earned vacation dollars and when they continue to bring them to the gulf coast we all win. i am so thankful to them. >> dan rowe, we appreciate you being with us once again. we will continue to check in. >> i hope all of you have a happy 4th of july. >> thank you so much. we're hoping you all have a happy one and a successful one as well. thanks so much. again, dan rowe with the visitors bureau down there, panama city beach. more on the efforts to bring tourists back to the beaches next hour. taking you back to gulf shores, alabama where they're counting on of all people jimmy buffet to save the day. one of the top marketing guys for the gulf coast convention and visitors bureau is going to be talking to us about that and a whole lot more. we'll see that and see you back here at 10:30 eastern. for now it's 13 minutes past the hour. we'll be back right after a break. an everyday moment can turn romantic at a moment's notice. and when it does, men with erectile dysfunction can be more confident in their ability to be ready with cialis for daily use. cialis for daily use is a clinically proven, low-dose tablet you take every day, so you can be ready anytime the moment's right for you and your partner. tell your doctor about your medical condition and all medications and ask if you're healthy enough for sexual activity. don't take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as this may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. don't drink alcohol in excess with cialis. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed back ache or muscle ache. to avoid long-term injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than 4 hours. if you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision, stop taking cialis and call your doctor right away. ask your doctor if cialis for daily use is right for you. for a 30-tablet free trial offer, go to cialis.com. ♪ ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] all we ask is that you keep doing what you've always done. ♪ the lexus rx. never has a vehicle been designed to feel so natural. ♪ see your lexus dealer. [ female announcer ] what if styling your hair to make it look good was good for it, too? aveeno introduces nourish + style, the first line of styling products with active naturals wheat to fortify while you style for a healthy hold that lasts more than 12 hours. new aveeno nourish + style. all right. in bonnie schneider's space right now. >> welcome. >> yes. i thought i'd come over and say hello. we're still talking about alex. >> right. >> alex is nothing anymore but is still having an effect. >> it is. you can see all the rain and thunderstorms right here just north of dallas into oklahoma. that's all alex. all of this moisture coming up from mexico is still creating showers and thunderstorms and a flood threat. t.j., we're also watching this which is something completely different, an area of low pressure that's developed just about 150 miles to the southeast of the mouth of the mississippi river. this is really kicking up some showers and thunderstorms towards new orleans and particularly towards florida. that's where we're watching for development there. now, for those of you that are heading to the beaches i can tell you a lot of the storms are staying offshore. here is a look at some of the advisories for alabama. you've been hearing from reynolds wolf reporting. we have a little activity in terms of some significant oiling where terry cove for example is closed completely but some of the other beaches are open and just have advisories for swimming. the weather is holding so far which is good news. panama city beach you heard earlier from our guest is open but there are some scattered tar balls that people are looking certainly to clean up as soon as they are onshore. take a look at the 4th of july forecast. it is a hot one for the northeast and the mid-atlantic. the heat will build. we're talking about high temperatures in the mid to upper 90s for cities like new york, into philadelphia, washington, d.c. it will be a scorcher tomorrow. today not so bad. just below 90 degrees. but get ready. that heat will build for the 4th and the 5th. a lot of people have vacation coming up on the 5th so if you're extending your holiday it will be a hot one. the 5th. is that a company holiday here at cnn, the 5th? >> i don't know. i'm working. it'll be nice and cool inside. >> all right. thank you as always. we'll talk to you again shortly. >> sure. another twist in the russian spy ring story. some of the accused agents actually have children. brian todd is ahead to tell us what will happen to the kids. 18 minutes past the hour. 18 minutes past the hour. stay with us. a car that keeps going, when others might quit. 21 minutes past the hour now. at least two of 11 suspects in an alleged spy ring operating in the u.s. are revealing their real names now. the accused deep cover russian agents were living as a married couple. brian todd has more on their case and the concerns about what is going to happen to the suspects' children. >> reporter: 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 zat ollie 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 is 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 -- >> they are both of them innocent. >> reporter: 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. the children might question whether their parents were married, felt an emotional bond with each other, because they could be spies, could be set up to do all of this. how bizarre is that? >> well, you know, i don't have any precedent on which to base an opinion so i think that it is certainly something that i've not experienced before. and i can't imagine that any of the kids in this situation are going to feel good about it. >> reporter: 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 her apparent husband said his real name is mikhail kutzik. i spoke about that balancing act with a former fbi operative who helped catch russia's fbi mole robert hannsson a case dramatized in the hollywood film "breach." >> how hard is it to be a spy when you have kids of any age? >> it has to be incredibly difficult because when you're 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. >> experts say despite the bizarre nature of this case the children of all of these spy suspects will likely be handed over to whomever the parents choose for guardianship unless there is evidence of abuse. also keep in mind any children who are born here in the u.s., because of the 14th amendment, no matter where your parents are from and what their legal status is, the constitution says you're born here on u.s. soil then you are a u.s. citizen. less than 24 hours to go until the country's birthday. we'll introduce you to some soldiers coming home in time to celebrate the 4th of july. my sunglasses. ♪ people say i'm forgetful. maybe that's why we go to so many memorable places. love the road you're on. the subaru outback. motor trend's 2010 sport/utility of the year. 48 the subaru outback. man and woman: ♪ it's the happy birthday song ♪ love, dad and ♪ love, mom ♪ it's your birthday, now, that's the bomb ♪ ♪ you're 13 and livin' strong ♪ [muffled] ♪ it's the happy birthday song ♪ what, what? ♪ it's the happy birthday song ♪ ♪ what, what? ♪ the happy... announcer: you don't have to be perfect to be a perfect parent, because kids in foster care don't need perfection. they need you. dozens of american soldiers return home just in time to celebrate the nation's birthday. you see this crowd. family and friends. check it out. don't you just love these moments? they were cheering as the troops arrived in massachusetts, this was yesterday. soldiers were greeted, lots of hugs and kisses and a few tears. several people of course can't help but shed some tears. they haven't seen these guys and girls in some time. they were happy to be reunited. >> it's been very emotional. just happy he's home. >> today is just a wonderful, thankful answer to prayer. all the men came home safely and women. >> home safe. we will enjoy her. we're proud of you. great job. >> thanks. thanks for the support. thanks for coming out. appreciate it. >> you're pretty happy. >> yes, very happy. >> that is awesome. troops returning home after a year long tour of duty in iraq. welcome home, guys and gals. we'll have more on the efforts to bring tourists back to the gulf coast beaches next hour. we'll take you back to gulf shores, alabama. they're counting on of all things jimmy buffet to help them out, one of the top marketing guys for the gulf coast convention. also going to be talking to us in that hour. you can see us right here at 10:30 eastern when all of that is coming up. we will be back at the top of the hour with more live news as we continue on this cnn saturday morning. for now i'm going to hand this over to "your bottom line" our show about your money. a lot going on with your money these days.