happy independence day. a fourth of july attack on the green zone in baghdad. iraqi officials say mortar rounds hit the area today and all this on the day that the vice president of the united states is in iraq visiting with u.s. troops. let's go to baghdad. do we know where the vice president may have been at the time of these attacks? >> reporter: at this stage, they are not confirming the whereabouts of the vice president or the attack. nor are they saying where they are right now. all of this is for security reasons. they are saying that a small explosion happened. they are looking into the incident. when we asked them specifically about mr. biden's whereabouts, they said this attack caused no casualties or damage. iraqi police we are talking to are saying that they believe the cause of the explosions were three mortar rounds. if you remember in september when the vice president was here, there was an attack where mortaar rounds fell as well. the vice president there was this evening giving a speech and meeting with various iraqi and u.s. officials. all of this against a backdrop of the u.s.'s continued drawdown from iraq. remember they are trying to hit that target of 50,000 troops by the end of august. we heard earlier from the vice president where he was emphasizing the security gains he had seen expressing optimism that a government will be formed quickly. it is important to point out that perspective on the ground here in iraq is not being shared by a majority of iraqi officials we are talking to nor the population itself. just today there was a female suicide bomber that struck and a car bomb that detonated in kirkuk. >> thank you very much for the update. meantime to afghanistan. a newman in charge and the general is taking the reigns of the international force there. . >> david petraeus now in command of the united states versus afghanistan. >> petraeus is replacing stanley mcchrystal and at the ceremony, he offered this reminder of the mission at hand. >> as each of you knows well, we are engaged in a tough fight. after years of war, we have arrived at a critical moment. we must demonstrate to the afghan people and to the world that al qaeda and the network of extremist allies will not be allowed to establish sanctuaries in afghanistan from which they can launch attacks on the afghan people and on freedom-loving nations around the world. >> they both surround the international troop and it is majority are from the u.s. general petraeus backs president obama's plans to drawdown in afghanistan by this time next year and said the plan depens on conditions on the ground. afghanistan's ambassador talked about the time table on cnn's state of the union. >> is the u.s. deadline beginning to pull out in july of next year helpful to afghanistan? >> no. frankly not. for two reasons. if you over emphasize a deadline that is not realistic, it makes the enemy a lot more. you are prolonging the war. that deadline should be realistic and should be baseded on the reality on the ground and we should give a clear message to the terrorists who are saying the united states, nato and afghans are there to finish the job. >> now to the gulf oil disaster, a test is being conducted on what's being built on the world's largest oil skirm called the a whale. if the test works, this could get rid of a lot of oil. on board the skimmer today, he joins us now from louisiana where thankfully the rain died off a little bit. tell us about that excursion. >> reporter: fredricka, we overflew it out at sea, testing the maneuverability. the reason there is so much optimism is a ship that is registered to the taiwanese. it came over from europe after being retro fitted in portugal. they did it in a sense think of a whale's mouth and cut the gates with bars in the front of the ship and it can take in water, oily water, and put it through a syphoning process and cleanse it. they are out there right now trying to test the maneuverability. the a whale is massive. 3 1/2 football fields long and one football field wide. they need to make sure that it doesn't get in the way when it's out there skimming. they want to put it close to the source. i talked to the coast guard about testing the a whale. he talked about what they were doing out at sea today. >> what we were looking for is can it do what it claims to do? this is new technology that never has been tried before. they are out there for 48 hours, trying to test the oil-skimming capabilities and the ability to maneuver in tight quarters women have approximately 3,000 ships fighting oil off the coast. they have to maneuver in tight quarters. 1,100 foot ship can be challengingests. . >> what was it before it game a super skimmer? it was hauling oil and iron ore and kristened in 2010 and it has been around the world, five continents already and it might have made this long juniory and it might be a key figure in the fight against the spread of the oil here in the gulf right now. >> that would be nice. thanks for joining us from louisiana. in the meantime, folk who is live along the gulf are going without a lot. they now add fourth of july fireworks to the list. the cities canceled shows because of the oil spill. the owner of the bridge side marina said they are can teleing fireworks because they are worried sparks from the fireworks just might ignite the oil that is in the water nearby. let's go to karen mcginness. it has been a tough fourth of july weekend for a lot of folks along the gulf for those reasons. >> they live with this every day. we hear about it in the headlines and the newspapers, but they live with this. it's going on to three months now. it looks like the beaches severely affected in a number of areas. we are looking at the florida beefs and saying avoid the water. we have got oil in pensacola. tar balls in panama city, florida. these are some of the most beautiful beaches with the sugar sand beach and they are devastated by 75 plus days now where the oil is moving closer and closer to the uncharted territory beaches. the national atmospheric administration said between 60 and 80% chance the oil will make its way down towards the panhandle, the lower portion of the peninsula of florida. you can see orange beach and gulf shore, but let's talk about the other big story that. is the heat across the northeast. the next several days, the temperatures are going to be in the triple-digits. we have the heat wave that is on across the northeast. washington, d.c. temperatures have been in the mid 90s today. you can imagine it feels a lot more hot than that. go to philadelphia, it will be triple-digits by tuesday and new york city probably not at record-setting temperatures, but coming really, really close. >> let's hope the breeze off the water might help in new york city. thanks so much. we are going to head back to washington, d.c. where it's sizzling on this fourth of july. people are celebrating america's birthday and we will go live to the national mall where it is jam packed with activities. you can see all the people there. we have sandra in the midst of it all. first, troops are bridging the distance with special greetings for loved ones this holiday. >> this is specialist kull. i wanted to wish my wife happy birthday and happy fourth of july. i will get home safe to you. >> this is master sergeant wood and want to wish everybody a great fourth of july. >> this is cody murray. >> and i'm danielle mur fre iraq. >> me and danielle want to tell >> me and danielle want to tell you we love you a tell the family we will be home soon. happy fourth of july. blap nation's capital, huge celebrations marking the 234th birthday. at the national mall, how are you looking so cool in the near triple-digit temperatures? >> it's pretty brutal, but i have to tell you, being out here ready for the big party, it has been fun. they had the best spots. they camped out for hours trying to stake out a spot to watch the fireworks. these girls have the right idea. a refreshing snack of watermelon and a lot of people are picnicking, bringing their own drinks because like you said, it's so hot it's important to stay hydrate and drink a lot of water. we are steps away from the national mall. here with bill who is in charge of telling us what the run down is, what will we see? >> a nice activity for the crowd. we have the navy band and artist on the west lawn of the capital. ken archuleta and all of that. much entertainment and what's going to cap it off at 10 minutes after 9:00 eastern is the fireworks. i'm told by the director of the company that this will be the biggest and largest most stu pendous that he used finally that we have had. >> what are we expecting it see? how long it will last and what kind of fireworks are we going to see? >> it will go for 17 minutes and seven seconds directly and starting right at 9:10 eastern. you will see what he calls green octopuses. the bottom line is it's supposed to be spectacular and we should let the public know that it's $226,000 to put on the display. that's a decent bargain and a good use of the taxpayer dollars and in addition there is large numbers of people who have been here most of the day and they need to keep hydrated and keep the fluids high. >> thanks so much. from the national park service, you can see everybody is gearing up, waiting for the big show that kicks off over there at the national monument here in washington, d.c. fred, back to you. >> a beautiful backdrop. will they set off the fireworks at the totome action river like in years past? >> you can seat monument here and around this year is where they kickoff the fireworks action and just behind the monument, there is a concert that is being held with the navy and army bands and they were playing songs earlier and got the camera guy grooving and moving. a lot of people having fun already. >> someone needed a camera on him as he was grooving and moving. >> thanks so much. have fun out there. always a great time there in the nation's capital. it starteda as the annual hot dog eating contest and ended in arrest. coney island tradition there to eat hot dogs and to try to eat the most and win the jackpot, but something went very wrong. >> and you i were both having difficulty watching this contest. >> i know. seeing someone gorge is not a pretty sight. >> here's what happened at the end. kobe yaayashi is the one who wa arrested. he used to win this contest every year from 2001 to 2006 he always won. he is a major league eating star. he lost in 2007 to american joey chestnut and hasn't won since. this year he was not allowed to compete because he was in the contract dispute with major league eating. at the end of this thing when his nemesis joey chestnut won, he ran up on stage and they said police took him away. he was not allowed to be there. a new york police officer told cnn he will be charged with resisting arrest and interfering with police and disorderly conduct as a result. >> what's the feel something he felt like whoever won, the guy who won, joey chestnut felt like he could have eaten more than him and he wanted to get on stage to prove it afterwards? >> yes. he wanted to prove he could have eaten more than joey chestnut. >> to be a true champion, you have to be a good loser too. chill. >> i have the highlights from what did happen. >> then there was the real competition. what happened. >> we don't want the guy who came along and give it a sour turn at the end. did you hear that sour? no one? let's start off with this. i love the sbroes for all the people. listen to how they introduce the contestants. >> the bologna and matsa ball eating contest of the world. >> all of these people have these actual championships in the past. >> she was a tiny thing. she was an eater? >> there two women. >> these are all slight people. >> none r that big. >> his get up is something else. >> this is a sport because they mastered the physical art of being in good shape and all of a sudden expanding your stomach and doing whatever you have to do when the contest is over. you are doing your thing. let's get to the video. i will tell you a couple of facts. we have the video beginning here. the countdown. they are all know. michael phelps when he eats the insane amount of calories, he would eat about 12,000 calories a day. >> but he usually chews. >> for joey chestnut had discreetly hot dogs according to espn, that would have been 20,000 calories. last year joey chestnut managed to get 20,000 calories. >> watching this is hard. >> were you asking about the women? sonia thomas is one of two women. they are small, about 100 points. >> no, no. honey. this is not flattering. no. >> she is going for it. >> after that kind of humiliation, you want to win. >> let's give props to the winner. he is joey chuft nestnut. i can't believe i had to watch this. two hot dogs and scarves them and takes the bun and dips it in water and gets that in. it prevents choking and goes in faster. rinse and repeat. he does the same after that. he did not quite manage to beat his record. this year was 54, but still enough to win. he clinched his fourth consecutive hot dog eating contest. >> even jiggling of the to get down the throat. >> they have have terms. kobayashi was the big one. >> that is pain. >> that's what athletes do. >> athletes? is that what we call these guys? athletes? i will refrain from comment. >> i'm with you. i would never do this. want my kids to do something like this. >> let's stop it. >> here's joey talking about how he won. we have a sound byte here. >> i came out and knew what i had to do. it's one of the things of having fun. >> what was the factor with the heat? did that affect you? >> absolutely. i stopped drinking water and i was dehydrated going into the contest. i wanted to be -- it's all right. i beat the competition. if anybody else is here i would have beat them too. >> the hot dog eating digest. >> i'm a girl who likes to eat, but i like to take my time. that looks like it hurts eating that fast and that much. >> people come from all over and some of the people were saying they drove in really far because they had to see it and it was exciting. it's a spectacle even though i found it difficult to stomach. >> to digest. got it. >> it's fun. >> all right, josh. thank you so much. it is a tradition that nathan's hot dog eating contest and so is this. it's an icon. red, white, and blue. she is a contemporary super man and bat man. do you recognize her? does she look different? wonder woman getting a makeover ahead in the chat room. >> this is sergeant foglio and i wanted to wish everyone in san antonio, texas a happy fourth of july. i want to say thank you for the care pack annuals and you guys are doing great. >> this is a 1 c jackson from mississippi and i wanted to wish everybody a fourth of july. >> hi, i'm sergeant hensley and i wanted to say happy fourth of july to my son, joseph. love you and see you when i get home. >> now from the newsroom. here in the u.s. you can name your baby about anything you want to. there restrictions in certain places. code and law that you have to abide by. you can't name your kid anything. >> you wouldn't want to shackle your child with a bizarre name, but people do. >> here are examples. in sweden, you can't even pronounce this one. see the one on the bottom, there is a pronounce or that according to the family. al fin. they said no, you cannot name your child these names. they said we will condense it to an a and the company said no. >> you have a lot of people naming their kids elvis here. elvis costello. the list goes on. there other countries. germany has restrictions on names. >> i think new zealand, you cannot -- this is germany. you have to be able to tell the gender by the first name. can't have a negative affect on the child's well being. >> they are thinking about the child later on. >> you wouldn't want your child to walk around with a name where they could be made fun of or laughed at. some parents don't have a problem with that. >> we were talking about that earlier. they were names out there and they were here in the u.s. and no restrictions. go figure. let's move on to the david after dentist. this has gone viral and gone crazy. videotape that a dad picked up his son from the dentist and the child had novocain or laughing gas to get a procedure and when he got into the car, he babbled on and on and the dad recorded it and this video has gone viral. people are nuts about t. look at david after dentist. >> how did it go? >> i didn't feel anything. >> yeah. >> kind of felt good, didn't it? >> it this real life? >> yeah, this is real life. >> that are doesn't team right, but dad had the intuition to record it and keep it one day, you won't believe the stuff you were saying. when he posted it, he had no idea that it would go viral and they would make money on it. $150,000 off that tape. >> they're donated some money to charity and operation smile was one of the groups that made donations to. at one point in the video where he grabs his car seat and lifts up and screams and you think oh, dear. dad is like it's okay. it is a little disturbing in some aspects. >> it is. >> poor pumpkin there. we will move on. were you a wonder woman fan? >> not so much. >> almighty i sis? none of that? >> the others, but wonder woman is a little delayed. >> she is 69 years old now and looks great. lynda carter, who looks better than her in her get up there. doing the job. apparently there is going to be a makeover and she will be wearing a biker jacket and they modified it a little bit. that is a parentally is a photograph of the old comic strip, wonder woman wearing a bustier. she will be wearing leggings. >> a little edgier. the hair is edgier. >> a little more mod. who know fist there will be a little television show or a movie. do you see it happening? >> i think it is scheduled to be released in 2013. it has been a long time. do we know who the star is in. >> i don't know who it will be. >> could it compare to lynda carter? i don't think so. >> everyone loves wonder woman. i loved it as a kid. >> i think you did. >> on the playground you pretended to be like her with the bracelets and stuff. i will tell you more later. i don't want to embarrass you. thanks so much for being in the chat room with us. back to the newsroom in a moment. some gulf coast beaches are looking like ghost towns. you know why. fourth of july tourists are the latest to be scared away by the bp oil spill. could switching to geico really save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance? does a former drill sergeant make a terrible therapist? patient: and that's why yellow makes me sad. i think. sarge: that's interesting. you know what makes me sad? you do! maybe we should chug on over to mambie pambie land where maybe we can find some self-confidence for you. ya jackwagon! tissue? crybaby. geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more. beaches should be crowded with tourists celebrating the fourth of july, but things changed when bp exploded in the gulf. in gulf shores, alabama, you have a couple of straglers who are there, but not getting in the water. >> on a normal fourth of july holiday, this beach would be packed. i would be standing in the midst of people and that's what the guards tell us. certainly not the case right now. you ask about folks in the water, they are not supposed to be in the water here, but there have been people on and off in there. lifeguards are saying they are allow people to dip their feet in and come out, but people were doing more than dipping their feet in. we have a group of youngsters here that are a little bit disappointed. they are smiling. you are off on a mission from the church in louisville. >> woodland baptist. >> i bet you are disappointed. not going to get in the water and dip in? >> maybe. >> probably. >> were you excited whe