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Dolly Still Pounding South Texas With Heavy Storms; U.S. Home Sales Continue to Tumble; Angered Wife Takes Divorce to YouTube; Hawaiian Sea Turtle Mourns His Murdered Love
Aired July 24, 2008 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Berg has been at this for eight hours a day, for nearly a month. That would make you cuckoo. He's definitely no amateur. He holds the Guinness World's record for stacking cards. Good morning, everybody, I'm Heidi Collins.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Tony Harris. Stay informed all day in the CNN NEWSROOM. Here's what's on the rundown.
Who's getting the love from Latino voters? A new survey has shows one candidate has made a comeback.
COLLINS: Die-hard Dolly. Storm still pounding south Texas with heavy rain.
HARRIS: And stuck in a minimum wage job? Our Gerri Willis may have a way out from your dead end. It is Thursday, July 24th and you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
COLLINS: Barack Obama's European tour, it began today in Germany. A meeting with the German chancellor. And in about three hours a speech in Berlin. CNN chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour is with us now live from Berlin. So, some people are already gathering for Obama's speech, right?
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, yes, Heidi. We speak about an hour ago about the preparations and what was going on. And just in the last minute, the organizers here, you can look over here with us with Claudia our camera woman to pan over and show you the barricades over there where crowds now are beginning to come towards us and are beginning to be let in.
At one point they were running to try to get the best seat possible. The Obama campaign, the organization, has set up what looks really like a major appearance here to show Obama to the German people. We know there's quite a lot of Americans here in this crowd, as well. And then he will be speaking, you can see now just in front of some of these camera equipment, he'll be speaking at that podium, which is in front of the Victory Column. And that is a column that was built in the 1860s, and marked Prussian victories over European neighbors such as Austria, Denmark, France, caused a little bit of a controversy. But to be frank, there's so many landmarks in this city, that by and large, have a militaristic past, that it's hard to get really away from that.
Anyway, this column and this place where he's going to talk is linked by this long road here to the Brandenburg Gate. In 1987 that was when President Ronald Reagan came to Berlin. Berlin was still divided between East and West, and he stood looking at the Brandenburg Gate, which was behind the Berlin Wall, and he spoke loudly and his voice was transmitted into the East, and he asked for then-Soviet leader to come here to this gate, open this gate, and tear down this wall, Mr. Gorbachev. It was as the Soviet Union was collapsing, the Cold War was collapsing, and two years later the Berlin Wall came down. Berlin was reunified. Germany was reunified and the cold war was over across Europe.
In 1963, it was then-democratic President John F. Kennedy, who came to West Berlin, not the Brandenburg Gate, but spoke outside the town hall, and talked about being proud to be a free man standing in West Berlin, and famously said then "ich bin ien Berliner." The fact that that was a jelly doughnut piece of pastry is kind of lost in history. His point was I'm standing here in solidarity with you in free Berlin.
So this is a city full of history. And into this comes Senator Barack Obama for a campaign tour designed to meet with Europeans and to tell them what an Obama presidency would look like, to try, his campaign says, to show that he is committed to re-establishing the partnership between the United States and Europe, and also, of course, to show American voters back home that if they want to see America's position, its reputation, restored in the world, then he is their man. That's from his point of view as a campaign through here -- Heidi.
COLLINS: All right. Excellent history lesson there, too, as well.
Christiane Amanpour coming to us live from Berlin.
Thanks, Christiane.
You can see Barack Obama's speech live on CNN today at 1:00 Eastern. We'll also stream it on CNN.com. Just go to CNN.com/live.
HARRIS: John McCain heads to the battleground state of Ohio today. He will campaign against cancer with famed cyclist Lance Armstrong. And our Dr. Sanjay Gupta will be there, too. Bad weather scuttled a planned McCain visit to Louisiana Wednesday. He was to meet with the governor, Bobby Jindal, who was considered a possible choice for running mate. But Jindal said yesterday he will not be on the ticket with McCain.
Fighting for attention in a blizzard of Barack Obama headlines, John McCain presses on with his town hall tour.
CNN's Dana Bash reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Call this counter programming. SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We know that Americans are sitting around the kitchen table tonight, figuring out whether they can keep their home or not.
BASH: While Barack Obama is overseas, John McCain is trying to convince voters back home he's working to ease their pain. He staged a photo-op, food shopping with a Pennsylvania family. Going out of his way to show, and tell, he gets it.
MCCAIN: The price of a gallon of milk just went over $4 a gallon. They said that was the highest that she had ever seen it.
BASH: At a town hall he even suggested the price of oil is down, because of the controversial White House decision he supported, lifting the federal ban on offshore drilling.
MCCAIN: The president of the United States announced that we would be, a week or so ago, that we would be lifting the moratorium on offshore drilling. The price of oil dropped $10. We need to drill offshore.
BASH: Not even the White House would go that far.
DANA PERINO, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: We don't predict what happens in the market. We can't really tell.
BASH: For McCain, talking pocketbook politics is only half of the double-barrel strategy while Obama is abroad.
MCCAIN: Apparently Senator Obama would rather lose a war in order to win a campaign.
BASH: The other, trying to keep Obama from bolstering his foreign policy credentials this week by pounding away on his Iraq plan.
MCCAIN: He is in favor of an unconditional withdrawal. An unconditional withdrawal, my friends, without paying attention to the facts on the ground, could lead to our failure.
BASH: Republicans, frustrated with Obama's overseas spot light are trying to be clever in getting their message out. The Republican National Committee will run these radio ads in Berlin while Obama is there.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "When our military needed necessary resources, Barack Obama failed to stand up."
BASH: But, not that Berlin. The towns of Berlin in three battleground states, Wisconsin, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania. And the McCain campaign is resorting to sarcasm to get attention, handing out fake French press passes, dubbing the McCain media the JV squad, "Left behind to report in America."
(END VIDEOTAPE) BASH (on-camera): Now, another way McCain advisers know they'll get attention is to tease the media on McCain's search for a running mate. The plan was to do that by going to New Orleans to meet with someone on the VP buzz list. Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal. But it didn't happen. The trip was canceled because of bad weather.
Dana Bash, CNN, Washington.
COLLINS: Measuring the Hispanic vote. A new "Q" poll shows Barack Obama is the candidate of choice. CNN senior political analyst Bill Schneider looks at the numbers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: How important is the Latino vote this year?
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This election could well be decided by Latino voters.
SCHNEIDER: That's why Barack Obama and John McCain both showed up, three weeks in a row this summer, to speak to Latino political organizations. OK, so, who's ahead? A new poll from the Pew Hispanic Center shows Obama with a huge lead, nearly three to one among Latinos nationwide. Does McCain have problems with Latino voters?
MCCAIN: I will honor their contributions to America for as long as I live.
SCHNEIDER: Latinos have a mixed opinion of McCain. Their big problem is with President Bush. Bush carried about 40 percent of the Latino vote in 2004. His popularity with Latinos is now down to 27 percent. And Obama - 76 percent favorable. Which makes him a little more popular than Hillary Clinton, who trounced Obama among Latino voters in the democratic primaries.
Is Obama having problems winning over Clinton's Latino supporters? Apparently not. The poll shows Obama doing better with Latino-Clinton supporters than with white Clinton supporters. McCain has made an effort to reach out to Latinos on the immigration issue.
MCCAIN: I and many other colleagues twice attempted to pass comprehensive immigration legislation to fix our broken borders.
SCHNEIDER: Which candidate do Latinos believe would be better for immigrants? Obama. Who also supports comprehensive immigration reform. About a third of Latinos rate the two candidates the same on immigration. Will Latinos vote for an African-American candidate? No evidence of a problem here. 32 percent of Latinos say the fact that Obama is black will help him with Latino voters. Only 11 percent believe it will hurt him.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Bill Schneider joining us now live from Washington. So, Bill, is immigration the biggest issue driving Hispanic voters to Obama?
SCHNEIDER: Actually no. A lot of them don't see a big difference between McCain and Obama on the immigration issue. Because McCain supports comprehensive immigration reform, as does Obama. They're biggest concerns, aside from the economy, which is everyone's concern, education rates very high among Latino voters. Because many of them depend on public schools for their children to get ahead.
To Americanize, to succeed in the United States, like other immigrant groups before them, and they want those public schools to work better than they're doing now.
COLLINS: Well, what is McCain saying about public education?
SCHNEIDER: Well, he has a slightly different proposals having more to do with alternatives to public education, with vouchers, the sort of proposals that we've heard from republicans and conservatives in the past. And that's attractive to a lot of minority groups who feel that the public schools have failed.
Obama talks about paying teachers more, getting better teachers in to the schools. A program, really, to tackle the public school problems head-on.
COLLINS: All right. CNN's Bill Schneider coming to us from Washington.
Thank you, Bill.
SCHNEIDER: Sure.
HARRIS: So Dolly is no longer a hurricane, but still making trouble today, and plenty of it. Dolly blew ashore yesterday with winds gusting to 120 miles an hour, ripping off roofs and knocking down power lines. Look at this. Now a tropical storm, Dolly could still dump a foot or more of rain over the Texas-Mexico border region. A flood watch posted for much of south Texas. So far only one reported injury from the storm. What great news that is.
Governor Rick Perry is flying over the Brownsville area today to get a look at the damage.
CNN meteorologist Reynolds Wolf saw the worst of it yesterday on South Padre Island, and Reynolds, Veronica de la Cruz last hour shared some viewer i-reports. Man.
But this is just an incredible damage and you witnessed it firsthand?
REYNOLD WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Pretty amazing, wasn't it, Tony? I mean just remarkable. For our viewers at home and for you in the studio who are wondering exactly where I'm standing, Let's get this all started by showing you this open-air restaurant which actually used to be a nice restaurant here at our hotel that had a beautiful window. Now let's see, we've got Stewart Park with us, a photo journalist. If we can pan down and show the viewers the windows. Yes, those were standing up I'd say a good 12 hours ago. But since then they were ripped down. And the reason why, well, take a look at this video. The whole crew was out yesterday battling the elements to bring you this story with winds packing over 100 miles per hour. It was a category 2 storm as Dolly roared its way onshore, not only just bringing heavy wind but also the rain and of course the surf, which is pounding. It's just a mess up and down South Padre Island. Just a horrible thing to see.
Now, as you come back to me, I'm going to step over this caution tape, probably I'm not supposed to be in there. But if you viewers at home don't tell anyone and you guys in the studio keep it mum, I will, too. Neither one of us say anything. Let's pan over here and take a look at this. You've got the pool, which not too long ago was nice and blue, but now with all the silt and all the dirt that's come in from nearby, everything is dark and nasty. Look at this, back over there, if you can look right over those trees you can see a line of windows that have been blasted out by the strong winds. You can even see the place where the elevators, guests were going up to the first, second, third floor. Enjoying what should have been a great vacation but instead it turned into just a huge mess. Take a look at what they had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CASSANDRA VERA, HOTEL GUEST: The sounds woke us up, and we could hear like the windows kind of shaking and that's when the rain and the wind got really bad. We could hear like that whistling noise.
ROCKY HERNANDEZ, HOTEL GUEST: It's horrible, dude. Every window in the lobbies, they're all out. Every floor, every window is out. You can see the beds. The curtains are all blowing out. Stuff's all over the floor.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WOLF: And as you head farther south in Brownsville, Texas, that's where another big problem is. In Brownsville, though, the levees they had, they held. They did really, really well. They were reinforced by sandbags over the last couple of days. They were up to government standards. They were just fine. Although they did have six inches of rainfall.
But still in parts of Rio Grande Valley what is left of Dolly, tropical storm Dolly will continue to bring quite a bit of rain fall. There's potentially you could see well over ten inches of rain which means more flooding for many small communities along the Rio Grande Valley. That's the story we got, Tony.
Let's send it right back to you.
HARRIS: Hey, very quickly, I'm wondering, you showed us that restaurant and you showed us the windows that are out. I'm just wondering, just curious, were those windows boarded, taped up? Some may be wondering how effective all of that is in the face of 100-mile- per-hour winds.
WOLF: That's really a great question. No, they weren't boarded up. They weren't taped. That's not just the case there but in a lot of these windows.
HARRIS: Might have been helpful, huh?
WOLF: ... were in pretty good shape. Would have made probably a good difference in some places if they happened to have the boarding. But the tape, I don't think so, especially in a situation with winds as strong as these were.
HARRIS: All right, Reynolds, appreciate it. Thank you, sir.
WOLF: Any time.
COLLINS: Rob Marciano standing by in the Weather Center now. Tropical storm Dolly, possible storm flooding, winds up to 60 miles per hour? Where we at now?
ROB MARCIANO, CNN, METEOROLOGIST: Much less. You know, for the record, taping thing, that's just a waste of tape.
HARRIS: Got you. Thank you.
MARCIANO: Isn't going to do anything. Cracking your windows? That isn't going to do anything, either. All right, guys, we've got a hurricane that's now a tropical storm. This is the satellite that's getting a little bit more bright as the sun comes up. The eye actually, or the center, I should day, they are about to cross the border, looks like. Last advisory was 50 miles east of Laredo. But it is just about what it looks like. We look for decrease in intensity but it's still 50-mile-per-hour, officially that's the circulating wind. And that's a little bit stronger than I would have expected it would have been by this time.
But It did kind of hang offshore, drag its speed a little bit, before it made the punch onshore yesterday afternoon. The southern quadrant, now the southeastern quadrant of this storm has been the strongest. And that's been the case for the past 24 hours. Tornado watch in effect, northern - the northern quadrant of the storm, that includes places like San Antonio, just south of Austin, as well, and Corpus Christi. A little band just rolled through Corpus Christi, dropped two quick inches of rain fall there. It's heading for San Antonio now.
We got a live shot, KXSP, thanks. There is downtown. And there goes the barge. Anyway, you got an idea. The river walk getting a little more wet today. and they could use it. San Antonio, central Texas, exceptional drought. They can use any drop of rain they get. Not so much of a drought down across deep south Texas. 10 to 20 inches of rain expected in total before this is all done. So, flood watches were posted there.
And across the northeast you've got your own issues, especially New England, upstate New York, the Adirondacks. Flood watches posted for you and includes parts of Jersey, too. The New York metropolitan area had quite a bit of rain earlier this morning. That's pressing east towards the cape, towards Long Island. It has done the damage though as far as some delays go. Earlier we had some stuff at La Guardia, still do. Actually, increasing there, about an hour and 30. Houston an hour and 30, Boston 1:15. So a little bit of rainfall there. Rain cool there, comfortable. Because of that 76 or so in Boston and New York. Heat building across the central plains and the desert southwest will be dry. No threat of hurricanes or tropical storms.
HARRIS: Well, that was smooth. Smooth as glass. Boy, you worked through that. That was beautiful.
MARCIANO: Thanks, Tony.
COLLINS: Oh, lord.
MARCIANO: Come on, Heidi, join in. Come on, a little bit of love. Come on.
COLLINS: I think you guys are just fine on your own. All right. Good job, Rob. We'll check back later.
MARCIANO: Thank you.
COLLINS: President Bush once called them part of an axis of evil. Now his administration is talking to them, but is it too little, too late? Live to the state department in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: President Bush trying to make friends with countries he once branded part of the axis of evil? Iran and North Korea. But is his new diplomatic push coming too late?
Live now in the CNN State Department correspondent Zain Verjee.
Zain, good morning.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Tony. Well it is a major shift in Bush administration policy toward Iran and North Korea. But it may be coming way too late.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VERJEE (voice-over): The Bush administration has turned 180 degrees on the axis of evil within the last week. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice meeting with the North Korean foreign minister, the highest level talks in four years. A reward for North Korean moves to get rid of its nuclear weapons. Secretary Rice told reporters, "from time to time, it's important to give a little push to the diplomacy." She sent a top diplomat to join talks with Iranian officials about their nukes.
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: What we've done is to make a step that we think demonstrates to everyone our seriousness about this process.
VERJEE: For years the U.S. has refused to talk unconditionally to its foes. So what gives? Legacy?
BARBARA SLAVIN, AUTHOR, "BITTER FRIENDS, BOSOM ENEMIES": I think Bush, with only six months left to go, realizes that he has not given diplomacy a real chance against Iran.
VERJEE: Some experts say the Bush U-turn is what presidential hopeful Senator Barack Obama urged all along, talk to the enemies, including Iran. Others say it could backfire.
DANIELLA PLETKA, AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE: Engagement can lead to foreign policy successes. Certainly from our enemy's standpoint it is viewed as a sign of weakness and desperation.
VERJEE: The new U.S. approach has had some success with North Korea. But North Korea hasn't agreed on a plan to prove it's telling the truth about its nuclear weapons. And Iran refuses to even discuss suspending its nuclear activity. Rice herself called that meeting disappointing and not serious. And she's threatening more sanctions.
PLETKA: I think that they're sending mixed messages to our adversaries about what our bottom lines are, moving the goal post is always a mistake no matter what your initial policy.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Zain, just a quick question for you, has the U.S. missed the boat on Iran here? I guess another part of this question is, is Iran simply kicking the can on any real proposals to the next administration?
VERJEE: Well, experts that we've talked to have basically told us that the U.S. has, in fact, missed the boat when it comes to Iran. They're telling us that the region in the Middle East is really in a holding pattern, they're just waiting for the next administration, and they're running out the clock, but what the U.S. is doing now, may be to lay the groundwork for the next administration to be able to engage with Iran, and that's sort of breaking down those walls.
HARRIS: There she is our state department correspondent Zain Verjee for us.
Zain, thank you.
COLLINS: Two million U.S. workers get a raise today, but for many it won't be enough to offset higher costs elsewhere. Gerri Willis looks for a long-term answer ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: The federal minimum wage is increasing to $6.55 an hour today. But for folks facing higher prices on everything from a gallon of milk to a gallon of gas, it's still getting harder to make ends meet. Personal finance editor Gerri Willis is here with tips on how to get out of the minimum wage trap.
But first, Gerri, obviously we need to get to the new housing numbers that are out this morning.
GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Hi there, Heidi. Existing home sales in the U.S. tumbled by 2.6 percent. That's in June. And it was double the amount expected. Now the numbers come from the National Association of Realtors. They say sales are now beginning to pick up. Finally, in places like Orlando, Florida, Phoenix, Arizona, Oakland, California. But in other places like Atlanta, Houston, Kansas City, Missouri, prices are still falling, despite affordable prices, solid local employment conditions.
I should say that the inventory of unsold homes is still at about 11 million, and that is six months - I'm sorry it's at 11 months, which is about double the usual levels. Over the past year housing prices have fallen more than 15 percent nationwide. More than 340 homes have been repossessed by banks during the first half of this year alone. Heidi.
COLLINS: Wow. So, talk to us a little bit now about this minimum wage, and in the introduction to this story, we talked about it being sort of a trap. What do you do not to fall into that trap?
WILLIS: Right, you want to make more money, right. So you want to enhance your education. It's the best way to get out of the minimum wage rut. You may not have to leave your living room. More and more schools are going on-line so you may be able to earn a degree at home. You may be able to view classes on-line or talk with professors or colleagues in chat rooms or via e-mail. Costs vary a lot. To get the best bang for your buck look for public, nonprofit schools to see what programs are out there. Check geteducated.com. Make sure the school is accredited, of course. And to do that, you may want to go to the Council of Higher Accreditation at chea.org -- Heidi.
COLLINS: OK. Check it out first. What about community resources? I imagine there might be something available there.
WILLIS: Well, there are a number of opportunities to enhance your education at local community colleges. On average the tuition there is about $2,300. That's a nationwide average. If you're on a limited income you may qualify for what they call a PEL grant. Otherwise there may be scholarship opportunities at the school you attend. Make sure you talk with somebody at the student services area. Keep in mind that most community colleges offer night and weekend class, too. To find a college in your area go to the Association of Community Colleges. It is aacc.nche.edu.
COLLINS: Whenever we talk about scholarships I always get a little chuckle because I remember a story that we did awhile back about this massive amount of scholarships that really aren't tapped into because they're so unbelievable. Like, remember the left-handed scholarship? WILLIS: Right. I could have done that!
COLLINS: I know, that's what I was thinking. Anyway, I have no idea if it still exists.
WILLIS: There are a ton of them and they do go unused. And people need to go get the free money.
COLLINS: Yes. Absolutely.
WILLIS: Yes.
COLLINS: What can people look for in their jobs, though, specifically?
WILLIS: Well, if you want help inside the place you're already working get a mentor. A mentor can guide you through your career. They can help you develop skills, make contacts in your field. Check first to see whether your current employer or your alma mater or where you went to school or any other organization you're affiliated with has some kind of formal mentoring program in place.
Generally you're going to want someone who is at least five years ahead of your in your career so they really know what you're going through and can help you. There may also be education programs and networking opportunities to work, too. Take advantage of those, as well.
COLLINS: And the main question of the day, I'm sure everyone wants the perfect answer to this, how can you actually land that better paying job?
WILLIS: Right. Well, it's tough, especially now with the economy the way it is. If you just don't see a way out of your minimum wage job at the company you may have to seek employment elsewhere. Make sure you're out there so potential employers can find you. Complete your profile at zoominfo.com, ziggs.com, linkedin.com. Look, if a recruiter is looking for a job candidate on-line your name could pop up at the top of their web search. And the best part of all, it's free.
And of course, if you have any questions send them to us at toptips@cnn.com. We love to hear from you.
COLLINS: Yes. And hey, it's Thursday, so just a couple of days until "Open House."
WILLIS: That's right, Saturday 9:30 a.m. Eastern right here on CNN. We're talking about some good stuffs. Sneaky fees to avoid, extreme incentives for selling your home. Affordable airfare.
COLLINS: Yes. Get your own pilot's license. Get somebody else pay for the gas. There you go.
WILLIS: That would be good.
COLLINS: Yes.
WILLIS: And you're going to buy that plane, too?
COLLINS: Yes, sure. With some friends, something like that.
WILLIS: Yes, OK. Costs are adding up.
COLLINS: Yes.
Gerri, thank you.
WILLIS: My pleasure.
COLLINS: Welcome back everybody, I'm Heidi Collins.
HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris. You're back in the CNN NEWSROOM.
We're going to check out the DOW right now. And boy, we've got a pretty steep sell-off right now inside the first hour of the trading day. The DOW, as you can see, down 114 points. Trying to figure out what was driving this. And it's home sales, existing home sales fell in June. Let's see what the number is here as I check out CNNMoney.com -- 2.6 percent. All three of the broad market indexes are down so far this morning.
When need a market check. We're going to get to Susan Lisovicz in just a couple of minutes, right here in the NEWSROOM.
COLLINS: After the storm blows through, Dolly leaves destruction in its path. What the storm did and what it's doing now. We'll talk to Rob Marciano.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: How about this? It is a very hot topic but a very cold place. A new government report says the arctic has enough oil to supply the U.S. for 12 years. Huh!
CNNMoney.com's Poppy Harlow has our Energy Fix from New York.
Oh, Poppy, please explain.
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: If only we could get it out of the ground, right, Tony?
HARRIS: Yes, yes.
HARLOW: Yes. There's certainly been a lot of talk about what's called The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, or ANWAR. You hear that word almost every day now. It's easy to get things confused.
Today we're talking about the entire arctic, not just ANWAR, which is U.S. property. What we know now, is that the arctic contains even more potential energy resources than thought previously. There's an estimated 90 billion barrels of oil or about 13 percent of the world's undiscovered oil there. And there is even more potential for natural gas.
Now, the U.S. Geological Survey estimates 30 percent of the world's undiscovered natural gas is in the arctic. But Tony, most of these resources are off shore. That presents a big problem.
HARRIS: I imagine, then, the problem is it's just not particularly easy to get to these resources, to access them in
HARLOW: That's exactly right.
Also, most of it's not in U.S. territory. But in areas rather off the shores of Canada, Russia, Greenland and Denmark. And as you can imagine, there's plenty of dispute over who really owns what's up there.
HARRIS: Oh, boy.
HARLOW: But quite a bit of oil is in U.S. territory.
The darker part of green on this map, you see it right there, were off shore right off of Alaska. So that is U.S. territory. Now also, most of the natural gas, that is right near Russia -- Tony.
HARRIS: OK. So, when you use the words, you know, drilling and Alaska in the same sentence, it is bound to spark a lot of controversy.
HARLOW: Oh, you bet. A lot of controversy. There's a lot of controversy though, also just beyond the territorial disputes.
Ironically one of the reasons there's more access to this oil now is because ice shelves have been melting, something a lot of people blame on the global warming effect of oil consumption. So, it all comes full circle.
There's also other environmental concerns. There's a lot of endangered species up there. native communities who live in the region. And of course, the biggest concern is that producing more oil will make us even more reliant on fossil fuels, meaning we'll need a bigger Energy Fix down the road. We hear the candidates debate about that all the time, Tony.
But, when this study came out last night it was really, really interesting to see just how much potential oil could be up there. But you've got to bet if we can get to it, it's going to take awhile -- Tony.
HARRIS: You know, our Ali Velshi has done some reporting from that region. Maybe we can get a couple of his pieces on in the NEWSROOM, this morning.
Poppy Harlow for us, with the Energy Fix.
Poppy, appreciate it, thank you.
HARLOW: Sure. (BUSINESS REPORT)
HARRIS: How have African-Americans fared in the 40 years since Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination?
CNN's special correspondent Soledad O'Brien will tell us about tonight's special, "Black in America."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Race in America. Have things gotten better for African- Americans?
A CNN, "Essence Magazine" opinion research corporation poll finds very different views on the status of black men. 60 percent of whites, but only 35 percent of blacks, think things have gotten better for African-American men within the last 10 years.
CNN's special correspondent Soledad O'Brien is looking at how African-Americans are doing since the assassination of Martin Luther King, 40 years ago. She tells us how one young black executive handles the pressure to succeed.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Malcolm Gillian (ph) is a vice president at Momentum Worldwide. A large, multinational marketing firm. And believe it or not, he's on the job.
MALCOM GILLIAN, VICE PRESIDENT, MOMENTUM WORLDWIDE: I can be uptown one night, I can be downtown another night.
O'BRIEN: Scouring the New York night club scene for new talent.
GILLIAN: New perspective, someone that's different, brings something new..
O'BRIEN: A sound that his company will use to help market its upscale clients. Music that might be used as a ring tone for cell phones or at a private concert.
(on camera): Are you nervous?
GILLIAN: I'm nervous is trying to get it together. It's important for the agency. It's important for my group that, you know, we deliver something on May 20th. So, we're still looking for an artist, we're still trying to find the right venue. We're still trying to nail down all those details. So that, you know, that's...
O'BRIEN: I'm nervous for you.
GILLIAN: So, Yes. I'm nervous.
O'BRIEN: But Malcolm says that pressure to succeed is compounded because he's black. Black men hold about three percent of all management positions in America. GILLIAN: Nicole Atkiss (ph), she's got some traction. Colombia is you know, excited beyond belief about her.
O'BRIEN: As one of just a handful of black managers among Momentum's 2,000 employees, Malcolm's broken through a glass ceiling.
(on camera): There are not a lot of black guys in advertising.
GILLIAN: Not at all. No.
O'BRIEN: Is it weird? Do you feel like you stick out?
GILLIAN: In some senses I think I bring a different perspective to everything.
O'BRIEN: Malcolm earned an MBA and a law degree. He chose a career in marketing and has worked his way up the ladder. But he still feels conspicuous in this largely white business world.
GILLIAN: I still find it shocking sometimes, when, whether it's you know, here or another place where there are so few African- American, particularly men, working there.
O'BRIEN: By night he faces the flip side. Black friends tease him for being too white.
GILLIAN: I can certainly sense in some environments, you know, I may not be black enough for people.
O'BRIEN: Black people?
GILLIAN: Yes, black people. I'm very proud of my race and you know, I really identify with being black. And I like to -- I think I represent our culture well.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Soledad joins us now from New York.
Soledad, I've got to kill out so many e-mails because of the response to the reporting to the documentary last night.
I have to ask you, what does Malcolm's experience tell us about what it takes from education to a presentation skills set, to not just survive, but for blacks to really thrive in today's America?
O'BRIEN: Well, you know, I think one thing you hear again and again and again and again and again is, blacks have to be three times as good as whites to get to whatever level. And we heard that a lot. Or twice as good. Or sometimes the number was four times as good. But, there was definitely the sense that the playing field is not fair, especially when you're talking about corporations.
Malcolm, I will tell you this, isn't one of those people who has said that to me. What Malcolm has felt is that he really wants to be judged on what he does. And he has, I mean the man has, you know, as I said, a list of degrees as long as your arm and he's certainly in every job he's had been incredibly talented. But I think that you could even see the frustration still in some of the underlying issues that he deals with, even among his own friends.
HARRIS: Soledad, I want to talk about this event at noon today, because I think this is fascinating. Tell us about the noon CNN.com event, because this is the moment when the reporting really meets public reaction.
O'BRIEN: Yes, you know. And believe me, I've been getting e- mails, some of them from people who think that wow, this was the greatest thing ever and some people who think, well, you didn't tell my story and it needed to be longer.
So, yes, we're going to -- 12 noon, do reaction. Have people feel free to go to CNN.com and tell us what they think. Obviously we're taking iReports, we're taking people on the phone and we'll have guests in the studio, as well and guests remotely, as well. And some of our producers will come in too, for anybody who has questions about what was going on behind the scenes. So that's kind of the plan.
HARRIS: I hope you're blogging on this. Or, if not for everyone's consumption, certainly for your own. You know? I hope so...
O'BRIEN: In all my free time, Tony. Yes.
HARRIS: Yes, yes. And if you would, tee up tonight's documentary, if you would, please.
O'BRIEN: Tonight we take a look, at the black man. In fact, that little snippet you about Malcolm Gillian, he's in one of the people we focus on in "The Black Man."
It starts tonight at 9 p.m. Eastern. And again, we take a look at a range of experiences of some black men in this country. Some of the obstacles and some of the opportunities they've had. It's not always a picture very clear. Someone like Malcolm is a good example of that.
HARRIS: Can't wait. Boy, Soledad, can't wait for tonight's documentary. And going to check in on the noon event, as well.
All right, Soledad, good to see you. Thanks.
O'BRIEN: And likewise.
COLLINS: Going through a divorce? Thinking about pleading your case on YouTube? Maybe not such a good idea.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Quickly want to bring you an interesting event that's happening on Capitol Hill right now. You may recognize him. Richard Simmons. He is testifying today, talking to members of Congress about childhood obesity. Let's go ahead and listen for just a moment.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
RICHARD SIMMONS, FITNESS GURU: Overweight, out of shape, 200 pounds, 400 pounds, 800 pounds. And I've dedicated all these years to giving them some support and some self-esteem.
Five years ago my mail shifted dramatically. I get thousands of e-mails a day. But when the No Child Left Behind Act came about, I got lots of letters from parents and children saying, my kid is overweight. My kid is going to the doctors. My kid has high cholesterol. So what I did was, I went on shows like "The Today Show," "Ellen," "David Letterman," "Howard Stern" and I put a four- page questionnaire on richardsimmons.com and 60,000 people filled out that questionnaire.
And I learned what was happening in the schools in the United States of America. I took a trip to Washington to meet Congressman Womp and Congressman Kind. I told them my ideas. I began another campaign on my web site, asking people to write their Congressmen and presidential candidates in order to let everyone know how important this is.
And here I stand with a vision today. Everyone is not a jock. Everyone cannot play sports. Everyone cannot run. But, everyone can be fit. It's not important if you're a jock. It's important that you have your health. And our children right now do not have it.
I have a vision, I know...
COLLINS: There you have Richard Simmons. Just a portion of some of his testimony on Capitol Hill today, regarding childhood obesity. Making some very strong points. Usually we see him goofing around and laughing and wearing those short shorts. But obviously today, he is in a suit and talking about a serious issue.
Later on though, we're told that he will switch into the famous workout wear for a rally and some exercise there in Washington. Richard Simmons today.
HARRIS: A Broadway playwrights plays the role of oppressed wife for YouTube cameras. But the performance didn't play well in divorce court.
CNN's Carol Costello reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If you ever thought of using YouTube as a tool in your divorce, don't. Tricia Walsh-Smith produced a series of videos publicly pleading her case for a nice settlement in her divorce.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRICIA WALSH-SMITH, APPEALING DIVORCE RULING: I am the biggest idiot in the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Well, a New York judge did call Mrs. Walsh and this YouTube efforts "a calculated and callous campaign." Incited it as a prime reason to grant Mr. Smith a divorce and to uphold their 1999 prenup.
WALSH-SMITH: I think it totally sucks.
COSTELLO: That means bye-bye to the Park Avenue apartment for Mrs. Walsh-Smith, a swanky dwelling she desperately wanted to keep.
WALSH-SMITH: My husband had no grounds when he filed last October. He was throwing me out with only $50,000. Now, you heard in the court tonight, $50,000. He had plunged me into debt.
By doing YouTube --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WALSH-SMITH: We never had sex. He said it was because he had high blood pressure.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALSH-SMITH: By doing YouTube, I brought attention to my plight and I get the other $700,000 when the divorce is finalized.
COSTELLO: But that $750k isn't nearly enough for the now former Mrs. Walsh-Smith. But what she calls an injustice may spur her back to her career as a successful Broadway playwright.
WALSH-SMITH: Actually they inspired me to regain control of my life and my career, and in the process bring to the attention of the world the plight of women in divorce.
COSTELLO: As for Mr. Smith, the Broadway mogul worth $60 million who said in court he was humiliated and hurt by his estranged wife's YouTube rants --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You think you have a relationship with her and all that cordial, or you're just upset?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, we're human beings and obviously we'll be as cordial as possible.
COSTELLO: In the end you think the judgment was fair? Are you happy with it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, the judgment is very fair.
COSTELLO: And what would you say to her now if you were speaking in person?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good afternoon. (END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: That's right. He would just say good afternoon.
Now the judge granted the divorce on the grounds of cruel and inhuman treatment on the part of the misses. And you guessed it. The misses plans to appeal.
Carol Costello, CNN, Washington.
COLLINS: And now to this. A picture of devotion. An endangered sea turtle comes ashore, spending hours at the memorial of a lost love.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Sea turtle, a love story. One endangered turtle settling in the sand to remember a murdered member of the family.
Ron Mizutani of affiliate KHON, has the story from Honolulu, Hawaii.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RON MIZUTANI, KHOL REPORTER (voice-over): Dozens of people flocked the shoreline at Laniakea Beach. Hoping to get a glimpse of the Hawaiian sea turtle. News of the slaughtering of Honey Girl, a frequent visitor to Turtle Beach, has generated even more interest in the threatened species.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Look how much joy people get out of this. And then something like this, somebody does something horrible like that. It's terrible.
MIZUTANI: But what happened Monday afternoon, tugs at your heart even more. A large male, known as Kuhina, suddenly appeared on the shore and quietly made his way to a memorial that volunteers had set up for Honey Girl.
MICHELLE MEEKS, MALAMA NA HONU FOUNDATION: They had to move the ropes aside so he could come straight up through and just came up and put his head right near the memorial, right near the picture and just stayed.
MIZUTANI: Kuhina stayed for hours. Volunteers say, it appeared as if he never took his eyes off her picture.
MEEKS: Heartbreaking to see those images but it was also so touching just, you know, to see him come up and be so close to the memorial. It was almost like he was coming up to say good-bye.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To me this is heart breaking. This is so sad. It's like he's grieving. Sad, very sad.
MIZUTANI: Science often discourages attribution of human motivation or behavior in animals. This story provides a different perspective.
MICHELLE SCHWENGEL, SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATOR: The way we've given names to the individuals here. That is kind of borderline for me. But now I feel that it's good to have those connections with the individuals.
MIZUTANI: An example of nature teaching us a lesson on life.
SCHWENGEL: I think that they're more connected to their feelings, probably, than we are. So we can really learn something from them and from what he did.
Ron Mizutani, KHON 2 News.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: And good morning again, everyone. You're informed with CNN.
