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U.S. Searches for Missing Soldiers; Coast Guard Attempts to Lure Stranded Whales Back to Sea; Senators Reach Bipartisan Immigration Reform Deal; Blair Meets with Bush One Last Time; Study Links Sarin Gas Exposure to Brain Problems; Wolfowitz Resignation Negotiations Underway

Aired May 17, 2007 - 13:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CO-HOST: Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
DON LEMON, CO-HOST: And I'm Don Lemon.

They're definitely hurt, probably hungry, and hopelessly lost. Humpback whales, a mother and baby, 90 miles up the Sacramento River, 90 miles from their ocean home.

PHILLIPS: And as we speak, rescuers are scrambling to lure the whales to safety. You'll see it all happen right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

LEMON: But first, we start with this today in the CNN NEWSROOM. The trail gets colder by the day, but the campaign to find them is an all-out, and it's nonstop.

Three of these four U.S. soldiers are missing for a sixth day. The body of one -- we don't know which one -- has been found. But a positive I.D. has not been made.

New video here of American and Iraqi troops by the thousands combing the so-called Triangle of Death for physical clues or tips from possible witnesses. A reward is out there, $200,000 for anyone who leads searchers to the missing troops. They were reported missing after a deadly ambush on their unit last Saturday.

CNN's Arwa Damon is embedded with the military search teams in the Triangle of Death.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're within a half-mile radius of where Saturday's attack took place. And as you can see, the vegetation is so thick in some places here that you can barely see through it. And it provides the insurgents perfect cover to carry out their attacks or plant roadside bombs.

Just about every soldier here has a story of being hit by an IED. It also makes it even more difficult for U.S. soldiers to try to find their missing men.

Day six of the search, and the men here are combing through these areas once again, also distributing leaflets to residents, offering up a $200,000 reward for any information that could lead them to the kidnapped soldiers.

Now one young soldier who I spoke to actually was on the scene of the attack, one of those who did respond, said that he saw horrific sights but that he was currently in go-mode, trying to put that all behind him or block it out so that he could carry on with the mission at hand.

His concern, though, was that when he went back home and there the demons that he hasn't confronted out here would begin to haunt him.

Arwa Damon, CNN, near Yusufiyah, Iraq.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Now, the sneak attack that spawned this massive search is reminiscent of a similar incident nearly one year ago in nearly the same spot. A report on that deadly event came to light today.

CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr is here with more -- Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, it seems extraordinary that we are now going to talk about a similar event in a very nearby location a year ago when three Army soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division who were out in the middle of the night guarding a bridge by themselves came under attack.

One soldier immediately killed. But two of them, privates Thomas Tucker and Kristian Menchaca, kidnapped, taken away by the insurgents. Their bodies found days later, mutilated and murdered.

The investigation into that incident a year ago has now been completed. The Army making those results available today. And it is an indictment of the failures to conduct that mission properly by the leadership of that unit.

The report is very critical. It says that the observation post these three were manning was not sufficiently manned, not enough people there. Three of them should not have been out on their own at that post, that they were left at that observation post by themselves for hours and became exhausted. They should have been relieved long before then, in order to remain alert.

But the force protection measures there that night were inadequate, that rescue forces were too far away and trouble erupted, that they didn't have the firepower that they need.

At the end of the day, the military said one of the other problems for the 101st Airborne Division, that unit had endured so many combat casualties that the overall performance of the unit was really not up to par -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Has anyone been punished in connection with the findings, Barbara?

STARR: Well, what they found, Kyra, was that there was no criminal punishment warranted, but indeed, the company commander and the platoon leader were relieved of duty.

But the bottom line, which, of course, people I think may be watching in this incident that is now unfolding, the bottom line is that the Army said the mission that night was inadequately planned, inadequately supervised, and badly executed -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Barbara Starr live from the Pentagon. Thanks, Barbara.

LEMON: Lost, injured, and in troubled waters. There's a huge rescue effort under way this hour in California's port of Sacramento. Biologists are using recorded whale sounds to try to lure a pair of wayward humpbacks 90 miles back down the river and out towards sea.

The say the whales, believed to be a mother and calf, somehow got sidetracked and apparently were cut by a boat's propeller. They're hoping the salty water of the Pacific, along with an ample food supply, will help speed the whales' recovery.

And joining us now by telephone is Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi. He's on the phone with us.

I understand you just held a press conference a short time ago. What news came out of that press conference, Lieutenant Governor?

LT. GOV. JOHN GARAMENDI, CALIFORNIA: Actually, we're under way right now. We're on the Coast Guard cutter Hike (ph), about an 87- foot vessel. The Coast Guard has assembled the necessary assets, and we're about to drop the underwater speaker system into the water and begin the recordings.

So, our earlier press conference was to brief the press on what was going to happen today and what's that -- we said it's happening now. It will be under way here in just a few moments. This whale will be coming up, hearing the sound and beginning to follow this Coast Guard cutter back to the Golden Gate and out to the Pacific. Probably going to take a couple of days to do it all. But we're hopeful.

LEMON: If all goes well, and everyone, of course, is keeping their fingers crossed because we, of course, want these whales to get back and onto open water.

We're looking at pictures of you on that Coast Guard cutter now. But as I understand, as I listened to a little bit of this press conference, s that you're using whale sounds, but you're using whale sounds that are believed to be from Alaska. And these whales are believed to be from California. So there may be a different language here that they're speaking?

GARAMENDI: Well, perhaps a different dialect. A whale is a whale, and they'll -- we believe that they will recognize the whale sounds, although the dialect might be a little different. Let's say a southern accent versus a Boston accent.

But we're pretty confident that this will work. We actually did this 22 years ago when Humphrey the Humpback Whale got lost not too far from here and was actually trapped behind the bridge with pilings. We used metal pipes to harass the whale back out of that area, but we couldn't get him back to the ocean.

Somebody hit upon the idea: must be hungry, about how sounds of whales feeding? We got a hold of a guy that had actually recorded those sounds, Bernie Krauss.

LEMON: Yes.

GARAMENDI: Got his recording, got a -- a speaker system from the U.S. Navy. Put it in the water behind the boat, and Humphrey went 50 miles back to the Golden Gate Bridge right behind the boat the whole way.

LEMON: Yes.

GARAMENDI: So they're going to try to repeat it here 22 years later.

LEMON: Yes. We were just reading about Humphrey. I can't believe it's been 22 years of that.

Listen, we wish you well, as I said at the beginning of this. And we're going to have to run, because we have lots of news today. But I imagine the world is watching. But for your community there and folks in the state, this is a tremendous effort that everyone is paying close attention to.

GARAMENDI: Essentially, we have the Coast Guard. We have the Marine Fishery Service and the Marine Mammal Sanctuary here in San Francisco all working together. So it's going to be a big day. We're going to be hopeful.

LEMON: All right. Well, listen, thank you for joining us. And also come back on, please, if you get any new information for us. Lieutenant governor John Garamendi.

And here's a question for you. If the recorded music (sic) doesn't work, what's plan B for saving these whales? We have some marine experts standing by with the perspective. Again, we're going to listen, actually, Kyra, to some of the sounds that they're playing for these and as our whale watch continues here, ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM. You don't want to miss that.

PHILLIPS: Well, immigration and struggling to reach a deal. It's a topic we've been talking about for years now here on CNN and throughout the country. And we're now finding out that after Republican and Democrats have been struggling to work out these final details on the deal.

Andrea Koppel joins us live from the Hill. They might have reached an agreement -- Andrea. ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, they're telling us they have, Kyra. We just heard from Senator Ted Kennedy and Senator Diane Feinstein, two Democrats who have been intimately involved with these negotiations that have been going on now for months with Republicans, according to Ted Kennedy.

He was sort of likening this to the moment when they chose a pope or when they choose a pope and there's white smoke that goes up over Vatican City. He said there was white smoke. There is a deal.

Now, we need to caution folks: this is just an agreement among bipartisan lawmakers. It's still obviously very significant, because you have people on both ends of the political spectrum that have been working on this deal. But it has yet to make its way through the Senate, and there are likely going to be some very heated battles that are still going to take place on the Senate floor.

We're going to learn more about it at 1:30 at a press conference. But I can tell you what we knew going into the meeting that took place this morning was the following: two key areas, one having to do with the estimated 12 million undocumented aliens who are living in this country right now.

There would be a path to citizenship for these individuals. They would be allowed to stay, so long as they met a number of criteria, including paying a $5,000 fine and including sending the house -- the head of household back to their home country to get on line and apply for a visa.

The other key area has to do with those workers, the temporary workers that come into the United States; 400,000 of them would be allowed to come per year. They would be able to stay for two years, but then they would have to return back to their home country for one year before they could come back again. And they could do this three times, Kyra.

We're going to learn many more details, I'm sure, in the next -- within the next hour.

PHILLIPS: All right. And I'm told now, Andrea, possibly in 20 minutes or so, we're going to hear from lawmakers on both sides. We'll take that live as soon as this happens. And we'll talk to you again. Andrea Koppel, thanks.

LEMON: President Bush is soon to lose his most stalwart overseas supporter for the war in Iraq, British Prime Minister Tony Blair. The war has cost both politically, and Blair is on his way out.

Today, he stopped by the White House one more time. And with that story for us, CNN's Elaine Quijano joins us live -- Elaine.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Don.

Well, no regrets. That's essentially the message that we heard from both President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair, despite both men taking political blows over the years over the handling of the Iraq war.

At the same time, the president also expressing no regrets over a domestic issue: the administration's warrantless wiretap program. On the heels of some dramatic testimony on Capitol Hill this week by former top Justice Department official, President Bush dodged a question about whether he directly sent Alberto Gonzales, back in 2004, who was his White House counsel and his then chief of staff, Andy Card, to the hospital bedside of Attorney General John Ashcroft to try to get him, back in 2004, to sign off on the administration's domestic surveillance program.

The president did not answer. But, instead, took the opportunity to defend the program, saying that there is still an enemy that wants to do America harm. And therefore he had an obligation, he said, to put in place programs that honor the civil liberties of the American people. He defended the program as one that has been constantly reviewed and briefed to the U.S. Congress.

But President Bush not answering directly, Don, when asked point blank, did he, in fact, order, dispatch his then White House counsel and his then chief of staff Andy Card to go to the hospital room, where John Ashcroft -- an ailing John Ashcroft was and try to pressure him, essentially, to sign off on that program, Don.

LEMON: CNN's Elaine Quijano at the White House. Thank you, Elaine.

PHILLIPS: Straight ahead, the first Gulf War may be history, unless you're among the tens of thousands of U.S. troops exposed to nerve gas. Their battle may be only beginning. Their story straight ahead from the NEWSROOM.

LEMON: Most of us don't get to negotiate anything when we get fired. But most of us aren't president of the World Bank. Well, one man is for the moment.

You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: It's 1:15 Eastern Time. Here are three of the stories that we're working on in the CNN NEWSROOM this hour.

At least two people have been killed and more than 30 others wounded in Israeli air strikes on Hamas targets in Gaza. Israel says the air strikes are in retaliation for days of Hamas rocket attacks. Palestinian sources say at least six Palestinians were killed.

One of the six men accused of taking part in a plot against soldiers at Ft. Dix, New Jersey, wants to be released on bail. Prosecutors say that Agron Abdullah had the smallest role in that plot, but they say he should remain in detention.

California biologists are hoping that a recording of a humpback whale, the sounds, actually, of that will coax two injured whales back to the Pacific Ocean. The pair showed up in the Sacramento River several days ago, apparently sidetracked on their migration north from the Mexican coast.

LEMON: More than 100,000 U.S. troops may have been exposed to sarin nerve gas in the Persian Gulf War. Now a shocking new study about what they may be facing.

Medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joins us now with the details on that.

This is certainly a disturbing story if it turns out to be true.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right. If it turns out to be true, and that's something that we really want to emphasize. Because many studies have shown that those 100,000 troops that were exposed to sarin during the first Gulf War, that there wasn't any evidence that those soldiers actually suffered any physical harm.

However, this new study did something a little different. They took sarin exposure danger from the Department of Defense and coupled it with MRIs of some of these troops.

And what they found is that troops who were exposed to sarin suffered, on average, a 5 percent decrease in white matter in their brains. Now white matter is extremely important. It allows your brain to work efficiently. It allows different parts of your brain to communicate with one another.

One of the things -- and you'll see it right there. The stuff in white, well, that's white matter. The stuff that's within those green lines. It's very, very important. Now a 5 percent decrease, how much does this hurt? That's not exactly known.

However, what the doctors who did the study said is that some of these folks, they suffered from manual dexterity issues. They didn't -- the manual dexterity of someone who was about 20 years older so they did. So that they did -- they said that there does appear to have been some changes in these soldiers.

They also said that sometimes these soldiers, or often these soldiers would complain that their brains just weren't working right. They said they just had cognitive difficulties.

Something that's very important here is that the soldiers that had the highest level of exposure, they're the ones who suffered the loss of white matter the most.

So in other words, it, scientifically speaking, is very important that they linked. The higher the level of exposure, the greater the loss of white matter. Less exposure, less of a loss of white matter.

LEMON: OK. I'm glad you're here to explain it, because I was reading the story. I think it was in all the papers, but "The New York Times" article this morning. White matter. So I'm glad you explained that.

When something this big -- the Pentagon has to be talking about this. Have they responded to this at all? COHEN: Actually, the Pentagon has not had an official response to this.

LEMON: Really?

COHEN: They -- in the past, they have said -- they have pointed to many studies that say, you know, there's no evidence that there has been any harm. But they actually don't have an official response today.

LEMON: OK. So we haven't -- they haven't responded, but the studies are still going on. They need more conclusive evidence. So what happens now? Where do we go from here? Especially the soldiers.

COHEN: Well, there was an -- right. There was an interesting letter from three senators, asking the Veterans Administration and the DOD, "Gee, do you want to think about it? Do you want to tell these soldiers that maybe they were exposed to something that might have had an effect on their brain?"

Let's read a little bit from that letter. That letter was from three senators, Murray and Rockefeller and Bond. And in that letter, the senators wrote, the new study provides, quote, "comfort to the thousands of Gulf War veterans who have fought for answers and now know that there is a 'significant association' between Gulf War illnesses and nerve agent exposure."

So, for these three senators, they see the study as pretty much proof that there's an association between being exposed to sarin and having brain issues. However, not everyone is that convinced.

LEMON: All right. We shall see.

COHEN: OK, thanks.

LEMON: Elizabeth Cohen. Thank you so much.

PHILLIPS: Hold the line. Firefighters struggle to get the upper hand on Florida's stubborn Bugaboo blaze. Weather is cooperating today, but what's the weekend hold? We're on it in the NEWSROOM.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange. When NEWSROOM returns, I'll tell you why it will be one expensive Memorial Day weekend road trip.

You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Five in a row: gas prices hitting yet another record high, and that could make it one expensive Memorial Day weekend road trip. Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange with the numbers.

Hey, Susan.

LISOVICZ: Hey, Kyra. But plenty of people still hitting the road. Gas prices are up again, but people still plan on traveling.

AAA says the national average for self-serve regular now stands $3.12 a gallon, up another penny from yesterday and a fifth straight record. Still, another survey by the automotive group shows that more than 38 million Americans plan to travel 50 miles or more on Memorial Day weekend. That's up nearly 2 percent from last year. And then, that was also a record.

Most of those people, roughly 32 million of them, will be driving. And that's up 2 percent from a year ago, as well.

Just want to hit the road, Kyra, one way or another.

PHILLIPS: Don't we all? Where are people planning to get the extra money to fill up the tank?

LISOVICZ: Because we didn't get that pay raise we were looking for? Well...

PHILLIPS: It's all negotiable in our business, right?

LISOVICZ: Yes, exactly. They're scaling back travel plans in other ways. AAA says Americans plan to hit destinations that are closer to home. They'll also stay away for fewer days and stay in cheaper hotels.

And there are some other cost-cutting ideas.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SANDY HUGHES, AAA: Some people are renting more fuel-efficient vehicles than those that they own. And groups traveling together are renting family-sized vehicles such as SUVs or minivans instead of taking several cars or flying to their summer destinations.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LISOVICZ: And it's not just travel that people are scaling back on. Several leading retailers reported disappointing sales numbers last month as consumers cut back on other purchases in order to fill 'er up.

Oil prices, by the way, one factor in gasoline's -- an important factor in gasoline's record run, soaring nearly two bucks today, back above $64 a barrel.

(STOCK REPORT)

LISOVICZ: Coming up -- you can get one for a computer, a car, even a washing machine now. I'll tell you about one hospital chain that's offering a warranty on surgery. Think about it.

Kyra, Don, we'll talk about it in the next hour.

PHILLIPS: Sounds good. See you in a little bit.

LISOVICZ: You got it.

LEMON: His troubled World Bank tenure, well, it may soon come to an end. But if Paul Wolfowitz gets down -- goes down, it won't be easily. Details on negotiations over an exit plan next in the CNN NEWSROOM.

PHILLIPS: And a deal on immigration? Well, a news conference any moment on Capitol Hill. Apparently, there may be one. We're going to bring that to you live when it gets underway.

You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips live at CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.

LEMON: And I'm Don Lemon.

A deep blue drum in California. Will a couple of injured humpback whales make it safely down the Sacramento River and back into the Pacific?

PHILLIPS: Wild (ph) biologists and boaters do their best to make it happen. We've got trained eyes joining us from the Georgia Aquarium.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

First off though, at the bottom of the half-hour, live from Capitol Hill, we are waiting to hear from both Republicans and Democrats and they've been struggling today just to go over the final details of an elusive deal that would grant quick legal status to millions of illegal immigrants living in the U.S. and fortify the border.

As you know, this has been a controversial issue, that of illegal immigration and what politicians are going to do about it. As we approach an election year, we are told they are going to come to the mikes very soon. We'll take it live, our Andrea Koppel is there.

The board has enough votes to fire him, but negotiations are under way in Washington for embattled World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz to go gracefully. Our State Department correspondent Zain Verjee following the story as it develops. Zain, the president spoke about Wolfowitz today. What did he say?

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, hi. President Bush said that he admires Paul Wolfowitz. He put Wolfowitz in the job as World Bank president. The president spoke a few hours ago and what we don't hear from what he says is a declaration that Wolfowitz must stay.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I believe all parties in this matter have acted in good faith. I regret that it's come to this. I admire Paul Wolfowitz. I admire his heart and I particularly admired his focus on helping the poor. There is a board meeting going on as we speak. I -- all I can tell you is that I know Paul Wolfowitz has a interest in what's best for the bank.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VERJEE: Kyra, administration sources say that there's been a real shift in the White House in the past two days. After supporting Wolfowitz all along, the White House seems to have concluded that he must leave. They don't really appear to want to spend more political capital on this. The administration officials are saying that the White House just wants it over as soon as possible. Kyra?

PHILLIPS: So what do you think? Is there a deal in the works?

VERJEE: There is. There appears though to be a deadlock between the U.S. and Paul Wolfowitz on the one side and the World Bank board on the other. Administration sources say that what they're doing is negotiating with each other. They're looking for a face-saving way out for Wolfowitz. The proposal on the table is this -- Wolfowitz resigns and the World Bank also takes responsibility for the handling, the promotion, and pay raise of his companion Shaha Riza (ph).

So Wolfowitz doesn't take all the blame, basically. His lawyer Robert Bennett has said repeatedly that Wolfowitz will not leave under any cloud. Administration officials have told CNN that they expect Wolfowitz to leave soon.

PHILLIPS: All right, Zain Verjee, our State Department correspondent. We'll follow it. Thanks.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR, NEWSROOM: We're keeping an eye on Washington on that immigration press conference. If that happens, we'll have to interrupt this segment. I just want to tell you that.

We're also keeping tabs on an amazing rescue effort unfolding right now in California's Sacramento River. Biologists are trying to lure a pair of lost, injured humpback whales 90 miles down the river and out towards sea. They are piping recorded whale sounds into the water almost like a marine version of the pied piper.

So we're going to play those for you in just a little bit and so first we want to go to Eric Gaglione. He is a marine expert with the Georgia aquarium. Eric, point blank, is this a viable plan. First of all, did I say your name correctly? Gaglione?

ERIC GAGLIONE, MANAGER OF HUSBANDRY, GEORGIA AQUARIUM: Yes, you did.

LEMON: Is this a viable plan?

GAGLIONE: Yeah I think it is. There's some history here in some recent years, actually 22 years ago, sound was played to lure a couple of whales out of this same location.

LEMON: How long ago again?

GAGLIONE: Twenty two years ago.

LEMON: Are you talking about, this wasn't the same place where Humphrey was, was it?

GAGLIONE: Yes, it was.

LEMON: It was Humphrey because I was going to talk about that. Twenty two years ago, Humphrey was lost for a number of days. Didn't suffer any permanent injuries but we do have pictures of this whale. It has an injury, a big gash on its side. And she's going with a calf as well.

What can people expect -- I spoke to the -- there's the -- we're looking at a picture now of that injury. It looks like something is wrapped around the whale. But, in fact, we're told that's a gash in the sides of this whale. I spoke to the lieutenant governor just a short time ago. He said this is going to take possibly a number of days. What can we expect from this and how long? Tell us about the process, if you will.

GAGLIONE: The process of getting the whales out?

LEMON: For getting the whales out, using the sound, how long it's going take and what they're going to do in order to do this.

GAGLIONE: It's hard to predict. They have some time to work. The animals have wandered into fresh water. The most important issue is to get them back out into the open waters because these animals need to be migrating northward. At this time of the year, they should be migrating northward to polar waters and this is where they spend the summer months doing most of their feeding.

So getting the animals pointed in the right direction is the most important thing to do right now. It may take several days for them to work through the logistics to get the sound equipment properly placed and to get the animals lured out. And if it doesn't work, they're going have to shift to a different plan which may include trying to herd them with different vessels and so on.

LEMON: That was my next question -- what happens after that? I was wondering if they're too heavy perhaps to be moved by crane or with a helicopter into position. What is plan B?

GAGLIONE: Well, physically handling these animals and moving them really isn't an option. They need to rely on techniques that get the animals moving on their own. First and foremost, they're trying to use sounds, which is a big part of a whale's life. So, by mimicking sounds that the whales are used to, they're hopeful that these sounds will encourage the animals to follow those sounds, perhaps to find proper feeding grounds so that they head out of the river rather than going in the wrong direction. LEMON: OK then. They're in fresh water now. They need to go back out to seawater, to salt water. How much of a danger is this for them? How long can they last in this water?

GAGLIONE: They can be in fresh water for quite sometime. The -- it's not where good food sources are for these animals. They are filter feeders and their best feeding grounds are up north. In fact, they fast for a good portion of the year and when they're on -- this time of the year when they're in a very long migration, they're not feeding in a significant fashion until they get up north.

LEMON: Yeah.

GAGLIONE: The -- the fresh water issue can create some irritation for their skin and for their eyes.

LEMON: That's what I want to ask you --

GAGLIONE: But there's plenty --

LEMON: If they're already injured, does that pose an even bigger problem for them?

GAGLIONE: Well, it certainly does. And I've not -- I've not seen the close up pictures of the injuries. But I -- if they have some injuries to -- to the blubber layer, they can work through those issues and they should heal. But, you know, the most important thing is to get them headed in the right direction so that they don't lose ground on the migration.

LEMON: Hey, Eric, we were talking about that whale sound. We've been working on getting it for our viewers. We have it. Let's listen to it a little bit. I want to talk to you about it.

It's just amazing. I imagine that is whale speak and they understand it. But the concern we're talking to the lieutenant governor is that it may not be the exact dialect that they're used to speaking or at least communicating with, I should say, but they may understand it as whale sounds and it will lead them back into the right direction.

GAGLIONE: Yeah. And that -- I think that's the -- the goal here is for them to hear a familiar sound, perhaps they don't know exactly what the sound means or it might be slightly foreign, but if it's similar to a whale sound, that in itself may encourage the animals to head in that direction.

LEMON: OK, all right. Thank you so much. We're going to have to cut this short because we're waiting on a press conference for immigration. We're going to go now, Ted Kennedy is speaking in Washington.

SEN. TED KENNEDY (D) MASSACHUSETTS: ... wide range of issues, but we have at least tried, tried, tried -- to come together to deal with something that's of central concern to our country and to the country's future and I'm very personally appreciative and grateful to each and every one of them for all that they -- all the time that they've taken, the efforts that they've taken and their willingness to try and find some common ground on this extremely important issue.

Year after year, we've had broken borders that aren't secure and a system that's broken. Year after year, we've had people dying in the desert because they want a better life for themselves and for their families. Year after year, we've had millions of people living in fear day after day, worrying that they could be deported like the hundreds of people that were deported that lived in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Year after year, we've had an underground economy that hurts American workers and abuses hard-working families. Year after year, we've all heard talk about reforming our system. We've heard the bumper sticker solutions, the campaign ads, and we know how divisive it is.

Well, now, it's time for action. 2007 is the year we must fix our broken system. We must strike while the iron is hot. I've been around here long enough to know that opportunities like this don't come very often. The American people are demanding a solution. The president is committed. Senator Reid has made this a priority. Senators from both parties are now determined to solve this crisis. Politics is the art of the possible and the agreement we just reached is the best possible chance we will have in years to secure our borders, bring millions of people out of the shadows and into the sunshine of America.

We all want to secure our boarders and strengthen our national security. There is broad agreement on the doubling of border guards, securing our perimeters, increasing the number of inspectors, tracking down smugglers, and employers who break the law. There's broad consensus that 12 million undocumented workers who are here should be offered the chance to earn their legalization. If this bill becomes law, it will provide an historic opportunity for millions of people right away. On family immigration, as someone who comes from a large family, I couldn't be more committed to upholding our policy of supporting families that want to stay together.

This proposal includes family backlog reduction in eight years for most of the four million in the family backlog, a backlog that currently stretches some 22 years. It also maintains that more than a majority of future immigration will be based on family ties. That couldn't be more important. Family reunification has been the cornerstone of our immigration policy for decades and under this proposal it still will be.

About 20 percent will be given to refugees who desperately need asylum in this country and the remaining third will be based on a point system that factors in preferences for both high-skilled, low- skilled workers as well as extended family ties. The bill includes temporary workers that will have strong labor protections. This will help people who risk their lives crossing the border for a job will have the chance to apply for good jobs in the United States and it helps strengthen the backbone of our economy.

This plan isn't perfect. But it's a strong bill and it is a worthy solution. Only a bipartisan bill will become law. And I believe we owe it to the American people to stop talking about immigration and start acting. We owe it to them to solve this crisis in a way that upholds our humanity and our tradition of a nation of immigrants. We'll hear from our friend and colleague, Senator Specter, Senator Salazar, Senator Kyle and others.

SEN. ARLEN SPECTER (R) PENNSYLVANIA: It has been a prodigious effort over the past three months with two-hour meetings virtually every day consisting of some eight, 10 and 12 senators. It's hard to get 10 senators in one room for 2 1/2 hours. But that has been done as we have molded a 380-page document which provides the core of what we believe will be the comprehensive immigration reform bill.

We have started off with the proposition of securing the borders with fencing, with additional border control. We have moved to very strong employer sanctions to stop the magnets and some employers will be able to tell who is legal and who is illegal. You can have tough sanction ifs they hire illegals.

We have moved for a temporary workers' program, which is temporary coming to this country, working and then returning. We have structured a plan to provide for the 11 to 12 million undocumented immigrants. We will require that they've earned the right to citizenship at the end of the line.

Immigration has become a third rail in American politics. It may be even more of a third rail than Social Security. And no matter what we craft, it's going to be attacked from both the right and the left. The bill hasn't even been presented and it is already drawing criticism as being amnesty, although the critics don't know what is in the bill on one side and on the other, not sufficiently humanitarian.

We have required that the undocumented immigrants earn their rights to citizenship. It is not amnesty. This will restore the rule of law. Without legislation, we will have anarchy. Some 90 cities have tried to legislate to deal with the undocumented immigration problem and they can't handle it. It's a national program. We have a point system which is balanced. It's balanced among high-skilled workers, low-skilled workers and family considerations.

This is the best, I think, that can be done with an enormous effort on a bipartisan basis and I salute all of my colleagues who have worked so hard and especially the staffs which have been up really round the clock this past weekend, the weekend before. My chief of staff had an hour's sleep last night and five hours the night before and we're all dragging. But, I think we've produced a reasonably good product.

PHILLIPS: There you have it, 12 million undocumented immigrants in this country, one of the most controversial issues, illegal immigration. Finally it looks like Republicans and Democrats have reached a deal on how to deal with this. As you know, the vote comes on Monday.

We're going to hear more details on this plan and what Democrats and Republicans were able to negotiate dealing with securing the borders, dealing with illegal immigrants and earning the right to citizenship. You can go to pipeline, cnn.com/pipeline if you want to continue to watch this news conference but we will update you at the top of the hour with all the specifics once again.

Her death led to her death. Only problem -- she's still alive.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have to have proof of that.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You have to have proof that I'm not dead?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Now she's haunted by financial ghosts. That's ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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PHILLIPS: Firefighters making headway on a number of fronts, most notably the massive wildfire along the Georgia Florida border. For the moment, the winds are pretty light. So they're fortifying the fire lines around hundreds of evacuated homes. So far, a quarter of a million acres in the national wild life refuge there have been burned. Those in charge of the fire fight say well, without a lot of rain, it could take months to put this one out.

LEMON: They're going to need some of that rain. It sounds like a mixed bag in the weather forecast, storms and sunshine, Reynolds Wolf.

REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Isn't it always that way?

LEMON: You're always juggling.

WOLF: That's how it goes. We do have better conditions here today. The wind is not quite as strong. They did get a few scattered showers this morning. The problem is what they need would be about two or three days of a steady, light rain. I'm not saying we want a flooding situation there. There's no way that we want that to occur.

But, still, some damp conditions would be nice and they may get some scattered showers there right along the I-10 and I-75 corridor later on today. Not much for the time being. Let's hope that we do get some activity there in terms of rainfall this afternoon, because this big area of high pressure is going to pull its way to the southeast.

So going from today into tomorrow, the rain chances are going to decrease significantly, possibly bringing some rainfall, only the I-4 corridor southward to Tampa and Miami, but north Florida should begin dry out and the wind should begin to pick up once again. Let's hope that we do get that beneficial rainfall because as we go into the weekend, the rain chances are going to drop out all together. It doesn't look good and we sure don't want that wind to really pop up.

That's the latest we have for you in terms of that weather for all those fire-prone areas that you get a break in New Jersey by the way last night with those scattered showers coming through but also a little bit of storm damage in parts of New York. Back to you.

LEMON: Reynolds Wolf. Thanks to you and your dance.

WOLF: Thank you, sir.

LEMON: Can a couple of wayward whales get back to the deep blue sea? Hold your breath. Look at that. Live pictures for you. We've got details and marine experts, of course, and whale sounds coming up in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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PHILLIPS: It's a case worthy of "CSI," millions and millions of missing honey bees, no bodies, no clues, a growing headache straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

LEMON: as we go into the break, let's take a look at the big board. The Dow is down 26, almost 27 points. We'll have a full report from the New York Stock Exchange from our Susan Lisovicz in just a bit. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

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PHILLIPS: You're told you're dead, but you're very much alive. Experts say it can happen to anyone when their financial health is failing. CNN's Keith Oppenheim investigates.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MADELINE COBURN, CONSUMER: What did you do today?

KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For single mom, Madeline Coburn, the rather shocking news came in March when her student loans were suddenly cut off. So this is a student loan notice?

COBURN: Yes.

OPPENHEIM: What's it telling you?

COBURN: That I'm deceased.

OPPENHEIM: Deceased as in six feet under. What was your first reaction when you heard you were dead?

COBURN: Like I'm doing now I laughed because it's like, come on, you see me, how can I be dead?

OPPENHEIM: But it was anything but funny. Madeline's untimely and false death was connected to her very real and very shaky financial situation.

COBURN: Bank accounts frozen, can't do anything. OPPENHEIM: It happened after one of her credit card accounts was turned over to a collection agency. The agency then called an old phone number and received some bad information.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Someone stated that they were your cousin and said that you had passed away on November 26th.

COBURN: Why would your company not verify that I was actually alive?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're not the client. They're supposed to find it out. Not us.

OPPENHEIM: Madeline's bank, which reported her death to credit agencies, blamed the debt collector.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If we get verification from a third-party agency. As far as we know, they have verified that you are deceased.

DEBORAH LUMPKINS, CONSUMER ATTORNEY: It can happen to anyone and that's what scary.

OPPENHEIM: Madeline's lawyer Deborah Lumpkins says this case is not easy to fix because credit reporting agencies and banks concerned about fraud need verification she's alive.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have to have proof of it.

COBURN: OK, you have to have proof that I'm not dead, but you didn't have to have proof to put down dead.

OPPENHEIM: Experts tell us that embedded electronic data listing Coburn as dead can live for a very long time, haunting her financial future.

Keith Oppenheim, CNN, St. Louis.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Now, we did speak to several credit agencies for this story. And there are some signs that Coburn's status is about to change. So far one bank and one credit reporting agency tells us the problem has been corrected. Coburn worries other financial institutions still believe that she's dead. The next hour of NEWSROOM starts right now.

LEMON: Hello, everyone, I'm Don Lemon live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.

PHILLIPS: And I'm Kyra Phillips. Out of the shadows ...

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