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Times Square Bomb Scare: Shirt Changing Suspect Spotted on Video; Oil Slick Goes to 30 Miles; Disaster in the Gulf: Weather Hampers Efforts to Contain Oil Spill; United and Continental to Merge; GOP Young Guns; Oil Slick Blame Game; Detroit Cops Shot; Times Square Search
Aired May 03, 2010 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Good Monday morning to you. And thanks so much for joining us on the Most News in the Morning. It is the 3rd of May. I'm John Roberts.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Kiran Chetry. Glad you're with us. We have a lot of big stories we're breaking down for you in the next 15 minutes.
First, there is some new information coming in this morning on the bomb scare in Times Square over the weekend. Authorities are now looking at a surveillance video that may have captured a possible suspect half a block away changing his shirt and described as looking around furtively by the NYPD.
ROBERTS: The gulf coast on alert this morning as that oil spill swirls in the Gulf of Mexico and churns toward land. It's estimated that thousands of gallons of crude could soon blacken shores from Louisiana all the way east of Florida. All fishing in the area has been banned at least for the next ten days. We're live with what officials are doing to try to cap that leak.
CHETRY: President Obama promising to use every resource available to clean up any damage caused by the oil leak. There's some growing criticism that the administration's response, though, was less than timely. Coming up, the blame game that could be going on in Washington.
ROBERTS: And the amFIX blog is up and running. Join the live conversation going on right now. We want to hear from you about anything in the news. Just go to CNN.com/amFIX. We'll be reading your comments throughout the morning.
CHETRY: First, though, there is some breaking news just coming into us out of Detroit. Local TV stations reporting that five police officers were shot. One was killed overnight. So far there is no word on whether they've tracked down the suspect or what brought them to the scene very early this morning. Again, the developments are just coming in. But we will keep you posted.
ROBERTS: But first, the hunt for a possible suspect who terrorized Times Square over the weekend. Police in New York City are going over every inch of the Nissan Pathfinder that was left on 45th Street at 7th Avenue packed with propane tanks, gas cans and clocks.
The commissioner says this man, described as a white male in his 40s, whom you see in the security video that was taken a half a block away, may be the person -- stress, may be the person who parked it there. He stops in the middle of the sidewalk, changes his shirt. He actually sort of peels off a layer of clothing and keeps looking back. There have already been people in groups claiming credit for the attempted attack including a video from the Pakistani Taliban. But as Mayor Bloomberg says, it is still too early to know which one is for real.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG (I), NEW YORK: I'm confident that we will find out who did it as the commissioner -- police commissioner said earlier in the day. There is no evidence that this is tied in with Al Qaeda or any other big terrorist organization, but rest assured we'll do everything we can.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Our Susan Candiotti has been working the story all weekend. She joins us now with the very latest. The theories are maybe a lone wolf as opposed to ties to organized terrorisms.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Still looking for all those answers. Whoever is responsible, of course, the question is, was that person acting alone or with someone else? And what was the goal? What was the motive? One thing we do know, what happened on Saturday night created a lot of havoc.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RAY KELLY, NEW YORK POLICE COMMISSIONER: It's just a sober reminder that New York is clearly the target of people who want to come here and do us harm.
CANDIOTTI (voice-over): It was a normal weekend night. Theatre Marquis flashing, restaurants hopping, Broadway bursting with tourists and New Yorkers. But at 6:28 p.m., surveillance cameras capture more than crowds, a Nissan Pathfinder SUV packing a hidden homemade bomb, pulls over on a side street, engine running, hazard lights on. Six minutes later, a t-shirt vendor alerts police there's smoke pouring out of the SUV.
And because he said something, a bomb squad is called. But not before a hot dog vender hears this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE, HOT DOG VENDER: Boom. A big boom and everybody started scattering. Everybody was in panic.
CANDIOTTI: Police say fireworks, M-88s inside the car start popping, sparks (ph) theorized by one of two alarm clocks set to trigger the contraption. Time Square is shut down, crowds pushed back. Some theater goers told to temporarily stay in their seats. A robot starts pulling out two gas cans and three propane tanks from the back seat in cargo space. Investigators also find a metal locker containing eight bags of fertilizer.
KELLY: If this had detonated, in my judgment it would have caused casualties, a significant fireball.
(on camera): Investigators are also reviewing images from surveillance cameras all over Manhattan and the surrounding area that might have captured the SUV's movements and any possible suspects.
(voice-over): Police release this video of a man in an alley believe taken just after the SUV was abandoned. A tourist gave police another picture of a man running from the area.
KELLY: Clearly it was the intent of whoever did this to cause mayhem, to create casualties.
CANDIOTTI: But police say initial tests showed the low grade fertilizer was not capable of exploding. However, if the gas and propane had ignited, a fireball could have injured pedestrians but lacked enough punch to bring down a building.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CANDIOTTI: And, of course, because of that everyone is heaving a huge sigh of relief. So now, again, that forensic work is going full spin ahead, looking for any fingerprints, looking for hair fibers, all kinds of evidence as they comb through that Pathfinder. And, of course, still we are waiting for word as to whether they've been able to talk with the registered owner of that vehicle.
CHETRY: Right, who apparently did not report his car missing?
CANDIOTTI: That's what we understand. Of course, as you know, the plate turn up in Connecticut. And you know, we know that the Pathfinder is here in this area too. So, you know, there are still a lot of questions as there always are in an investigation like this.
ROBERTS: A lot of mysteries out there. Susan Candiotti, great job this weekend, by the way.
CANDIOTTI: Thank you.
ROBERTS: Thanks. And coming up at 7:35 Eastern, by the way, Ray Kelly, the NYPD's police commissioner, will update us on the investigation and any new possible leads as New Yorkers go back to work this morning.
CHETRY: Meantime, administration officials are keeping close tabs on the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. It's growing larger by the hour. The slick now spans 30 miles. Shifting winds have kept some of the oil away from land. But as it spreads, it's not only threatening the coasts of Louisiana but Mississippi and Florida as well. President Obama arrived yesterday to get a firsthand look at the disaster. He made it clear who's to blame and who will pay.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: BP is responsible for this leak. BP will be paying the bill. But as president of the United States, I'm going to spare no effort to respond to this crisis for as long as it continues and we will spare no resource to clean up whatever damage is caused.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Brian Todd right now is live in New Orleans. And we start with Brian. Are they any closer in terms of the massive effort to actually stop the leak at the source?
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kiran, right now, they are not so close as they would like to be because of the weather issues that are surrounding this containment effort. High winds and rough seas and rain yesterday and this morning hampering some of those efforts.
You know, BP is under mounting pressure right now. The clip you just ran of the president said it all. He reiterated BP is responsible here. BP is paying for this containment effort and now, there are serious questions about the company's safety record.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TODD (voice-over): From BP officials, a consistent refrain on the cause of a massive and growing disaster. The fail safe system on this rig they say failed. The blowout preventer that should have capped the leak immediately after the explosion. But could one potentially crucial backup system that wasn't there have made a difference?
RICHARD CHARTER, ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY EXPERT: A $500,000 part that could have shut in this blowout manually once the blowout preventer had failed was not on this rig. And I think that will be a focal point going forward.
TODD: Environmental policy expert Richard Charter is talking about a so-called acoustic switch which shuts down the well by remote control even if the rig is damaged or evacuated. The Deep Water Horizon didn't have one. U.S. law doesn't require it. Rigs in other countries have to have them.
A BP official told us those switches don't have as good a track record as the submersibles that have been hovering the leak for days. But those machines haven't worked either. It's a problem that's shedding light on broader questions surrounding BP's overall commitment to safety.
CHARTER: BP has been fighting tighter safety regulations as a matter of record.
TODD: Last year, when the U.S. government proposed new rules with added layers of safety, a BP exec wrote a letter to the Minerals Management Service, saying, while the company supported systems to reduce risk, we are not supportive of the extensive prescriptive regulations as proposed in this rule. BP now says this. LAMAR MCKAY, PRESIDENT AND CHAIRMAN, BP AMERICA: That letter was in response to the government's request for input on safety regulations that the MMS was looking at. The rest of the letter actually recommends improvements and specific recommendations around safety regulations should they choose to change them. So we're not fighting anything about safety.
TODD: Records show BP exuded confidence that it could handle this kind of spill. In one document, the company said it has the capability to respond to a worst-case discharge, which it estimated then at 300,000 gallons a day. This well is leaking less than that amount, and BP has been criticized by federal officials for not handling it well. I asked a BP spokeswoman if they overestimated their ability to respond.
MARTI POWERS, BP SPOKESWOMAN: What you're seeing from response capability, this is huge. This is not just BP. There are federal agencies, state agencies that are here with us. I think it speaks well that we are able to manage, to get resources so quickly in these areas and really start a very proactive response effort.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TODD: Now, while they may not have been able to handle the amount of spillage they originally thought they could, BP officials are now hammering at their contention this is now an unprecedented release of oil and their response is unprecedented -- Kiran.
CHETRY: Any progress on those humongous boxes, I guess that they're describing that would go over top, eventually be able to cap the leak and then siphon the oil out from there? I understand that the construction, timing itself is going to take a while.
TODD: It is. And BP officials tell us they're still working on it. They're called these domes that they're building that are, in effect, going to be like upside down funnels that they're going to lower into the water and kind of gather some of the oil so that they can siphon it out. But it takes several days, even weeks to build it. They're still building it. They say they're planning on deploying it. But again, you know, time is their enemy right now.
CHETRY: Absolutely. All right, Brian Todd for us this morning. Thank you.
ROBERTS: The full extent of the devastation isn't going to be seen until the oil has washed ashore. But already, we're seeing images of the threat that the spill poses to wildlife. Here's a photograph of a pelican covered in crude. But these animals, once the oil seeps into their feathers, they're no longer able to stay warm and have difficult moving.
Let's check in now with Rob Marciano. He's live for us in Gulfport, Mississippi, which is one of the areas that is really in the danger zone. What's it looking like where you are, Rob? And can you, as many people have reported, smell that oil blowing in off of the gulf? ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, John, not only are they battling that oil slick but they're also battling the elements the past couple of days. Heavy wind and rain has been ongoing here (INAUDIBLE) and continues here this morning.
This is where it is and where we think at least right now it's going. It's about nine miles offshore at its closest point. Then these coordinates are pretty much (INAUDIBLE).
ROBERTS: Unfortunately, we're having some technical difficulties with Rob there, because of the extent of the bad weather in the area. A lot of thunderstorms interfering with our satellites.
CHETRY: Yes.
ROBERTS: But it will pass through so we'll get Rob up and reporting from Gulfport, Mississippi, in the next few minutes we're hoping.
And coming up in about 30 minutes time, by the way, Chris Reddy of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. He studies the effects of oil spills like this one. We'll be talking with him. And at 7:15 Eastern, we're going to ask Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano whether the government acted fast enough when the oil rig first blew or relied too heavily on what it was hearing from British Petroleum.
CHETRY: Also, Conan O'Brien and Jay Leno share the spotlight again this weekend. Leno was headlining the White House Correspondents Association Dinner and Conan appeared on CBS "60 Minutes" which is his first interview since the messy split from NBC back in January. And he was asked whether or not he thought Jay Leno acted honorably in taking back "The Tonight Show." Conan said he could not answer that, but his feelings seemed pretty clear. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CONAN O'BRIEN, COMEDIAN: I'm happy with my decision. I sleep well at night. And, I, you know, hope he's happy with his decision.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you think that Jay lobbied for this?
O'BRIEN: I don't know. But what I know is what happened, which is that he went and took that show back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Well, Conan says he's mostly very happy that he's having a great time on his current live national tour. Then, of course, he's landing in a new spot. It will at TBS.
ROBERTS: Yes. When is it? November --
CHETRY: I think so.
ROBERTS: -- of this year. Looking forward to that. Still to come on the Most News in the Morning, a warning about popular over the counter children's medications. Why parents are being told to stop using them. We'll have that story right coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back, 16 minutes past the hour right now. Here's some of the tops stories this morning. Thousands rescued or moving to higher ground in Tennessee as well as Mississippi where widespread flooding proving to be deadly, 15 people killed so far in the extreme weather.
Nationals Cumberland River is still rising and it could crest 10 feet above flood levels today. Flooding caught drivers in several state highways off guard, more than 150 Tennessee roads had to be closed because of what state officials called the worst flooding since the 1970s.
ROBERTS: Good news, in Boston Cruise are making better than expected progress with the broken water main. It cut the city's clean water supply to about 2 million people. Police were called to some stores this weekend because people were fighting over bottled water. Officials say everyone should boil the tap water before using it and not sure what caused the leak.
CHETRY: Food and Drug Administration is advising consumers to stop using dozens of over-the-counter infant and children's liquid medications, they are being recalled, and they included children's Tylenol, Motrin, Zyrtec, and Benadryl. Some of the products may have a higher concentration of active ingredient than listed on the bottle. Others don't meet quality standards. The FDA is reviewing the procedures and quality controls of the company that makes these medicines, which is McNeil Consumer Health Care. The potential for serious medical problems though is said to be remote.
And still to come on the Most News in the Morning, a major airline merger in the works. Continental teaming up with United. We'll tell you what it means, the next time you fly on Minding Your Business next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: It's 20 minutes now after the hour. Christine Romans here on Minding Your Business this morning. First of all it was Delta Northwest, now United and Continental.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: I think will be the world's leading airline, the world's largest airline. Regulators have to look at this so do shareholders of both companies, but it's United and Continental confirming what we've been suspecting for a few days now that they are going to merge.
This will be a $3 billion deal. It creates the world's largest airline and of course, there could be some antitrust hurdles ahead. Whenever you create the world's largest anything, that means that regulators are going to take a hard look at it.
But assuming it goes through, you'll have a Chicago headquarters and they'll call the company United. They will have a Continental logo and the largest hub will be in Houston so it will have major operations in Houston where Continental is based right now.
Well, how is it going to change your flying experience? Well, this Continental/United merger, it could mean some reduced compensation on some routes specifically maybe New York to California and Chicago-New York. These are two routes where both of these companies currently compete.
That could mean perhaps some higher prices, we just don't know yet. Maybe fewer seats on some of those routes, but more destinations and more connecting options all around the world. So at this point, you got analysts saying it would be kind of mixed results for people flying who are flying on these two airlines. One thing to remember is that there would be a merger of the frequent flyer programs as well.
CHETRY: I was wondering what does this mean for My Miles?
ROMANS: Right, what does this means for My Miles? If they are already in the star alliance together, which founded by United, but they are already in that program together. But it would be a complete merger of their two programs.
What about job cuts? I'll talk to the CEOs of both these companies in about an hour. I'll ask them if they're going to get rid of any jobs? But at this point, what they are saying in this press release announcing this merger, is this will be better long-term stability for their employees because both companies will be under better financial footing.
CHETRY: (INAUDIBLE) this morning.
ROMANS: I do, it's $16 million a day. It's meant to show the imperative behind trying to do --
ROBERTS: That's how much the airlines are losing?
ROMANS: The five major airlines for the past five years have lost $16 million a day. They have to do big things to try to make money in the industry.
ROBERTS: (INAUDIBLE) fly on is jammed.
ROMANS: I know, I know and you say that every time, they are losing money, John. In general, the airline industry is losing money.
CHETRY: That's why we've been talking about the annoying $5 carry-on fees.
ROMANS: Finally, an airline story where we're not talking about getting nickel and dimed to death, right? We're talking about a merger here and what it will mean to you so we'll have more in the next hour or two after I talk to the CEOs as well.
ROBERTS: All right, thanks so much. Christine Romans, Minding Your Business this morning.
They are the darlings of the GOP, young guns that Republicans are counting on to take the fight to the Democrats in the midterm elections. We're going to meet one of their candidates coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to Most News in the Morning, 26 minutes past the hour right now. They may be the best hope for Republicans in 2010 and beyond. Political up comers who bring a new energy to the fight so how do party leaders determine who their young guns will be?
Our Carol Costello profiles one candidate who is on the bubble. He technically is a contender, hasn't made it up to the young gun level yet. Tell us what this is all about.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, right now, Kiran, only 10 Republican candidates have achieved this young-gun status, but there are hundreds knocking on the door. One of them is Jim Renacci, a Conservative Republican from Ohio.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO (voice-over): Jim Renacci ought to be tired. He's been campaigning nonstop for eight months. Not just to win the Republican Primary in Ohio's 16th Congressional District, but to become a GOP darling, a young gun.
(on camera): Why is it important to be a young gun?
JIM RENACCI (R), OHIO CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE: I would tell you, when I first got into this, I wasn't sure when a young gun was. They have a program called the young guns.
COSTELLO (voice-over): Now that he knows, Renacci wants in. He's travelled to Washington to persuade powerful members of the National Republican Congressional Committee, or the NRCC.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jim, good to see you. Welcome to the NRCC.
COSTELLO: That's Texas Congressman Pete Sessions, Chairman of the NRC. He'll have a big say in whether Renacci wins a young gun designation.
(on camera): Just going over the attributes that you guys want in a candidate, able to raise money.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Got to do that.
COSTELLO: Organize their political campaign?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Got to do that.
COSTELLO: It would be great if they had a business background.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It would be great if they were a community leader in one regard or another.
COSTELLO (voice-over): That young gun designation is so important. It means guidance and money for the candidate from the NRCC.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The committee chairman and their staffs.
COSTELLO: And for the National Republican Congressional Committee, it's a way to recruit the best candidates nationwide to achieve a goal, recapturing the House. Sessions believes Republicans can do that with candidates like Jim Renacci.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What you get with me is 27 years of business experience.
COSTELLO: Renacci is a small business owner with no national political experience, seems to be just what the doctor ordered.
(on camera): It's preferable that a candidate not have a political background?
REP. PETE SESSIONS (R) TEXAS: I think it's preferable that we have candidates who out of their own way that they have seen life and what they want for the respect of their home to say, I'm not going to come to Washington and play those games.
COSTELLO (voice-over): More than 40 of the young gun hopefuls are small business owners. There are dozens of doctors or medical providers who can argue the merits of health care reform. And while Tea Party input is important, Sessions insists there are moderate Republicans on the list.
SESSIONS: I respect them and they are welcome in our party.
COSTELLO (on camera): I think a lot of people would find it refreshing that you said that.
SESSIONS: I've said it for a long time, we do have a litmus test under my chairmanship of the NRCC, we've got a big litmus test, be able to win your district.
COSTELLO (voice-over): As for Jim Renacci, he's pretty confident he'll achieve full young gun status soon. On this day, not even a few rain drops deter this potential young gun from his mission, to win back Ohio's 16th District for his party.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Renacci won't find out if he'll achieve young gun status until late May or June, but if he wins the Ohio Primary tomorrow, it certainly won't hurt his chances.
CHETRY: It's interesting when you talk about what the criteria is, first they have to be able to win their district, but it is also interesting he wants someone who hasn't been a career politician. COSTELLO: That's right. It's very important people not have a political background when running for congressional office on the Republican side. Small business owner, they don't want anyone associated with big business at all. They're really elevating the small business person and being a doctor or medical care provider is important because that way they could effectively argue against health caring reform.
CHETRY: Very interesting. Let us know if he gets bumped up to young gun status.
COSTELLO: Well, not soon.
CHETRY: Thanks, Carol.
COSTELLO: Sure.
ROBERTS: We're going half past the hour now and that means it's time for this morning's top stories.
The New York City Police Department says this may be video of a possible suspect behind the Times Square bomb square, taken a half a block way from a Nissan Pathfinder that police say was packed with explosives. There's also a claim of responsibility coming in from the Pakistani Taliban but there's been no confirmed link at this point to the international terror group.
CHETRY: The only accused gunman who survived a 2008 siege in Mumbai has just been found guilty in Indian court. The Pakistani man was charged with murder and attempted murder and waging war against India. The judge is expected to sentence him tomorrow to either life in prison or the death penalty. Two Indian men charge with helping plot the siege were acquitted because of lack of evidence.
ROBERTS: And the Gulf Coast is bracing for a disaster with more than 1.5 million gallons of oil floating just offshore. Storms and rough seas continue to undermine the cleanup efforts. The government has shut down commercial and recreational fishing from the Mississippi River to the Florida Panhandle for at least 10 days.
Well, pictures of the oil slick creeping closer to the Gulf shore, triggering a helpless sinking feeling. It's also painful reminder of the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster that took years to clean up.
CHETRY: In the past few days, some of the focus has shifted to the White House and whether it's sprung into action soon enough to make a difference. Some critics are calling this Obama's Hurricane Katrina.
Jim Acosta joins us live from Washington now.
And the White House is vigorously pushing back against any of those charges that this is indeed the president's Katrina.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Pushing back big time, John and Kiran.
Administration officials are warning the oil spill in the Gulf is a slow motion disaster that could actually end up being worse and more expensive than the Exxon Valdez. Just how the White House manages this potential catastrophe could be under the microscope for months.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA (voice-over): On the ground on the Gulf Coast, a rain- soaked President Obama defended his handling of an oil spill that's spreading.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: From day one, we have prepared and planned for the worst even as we hope for the best.
ACOSTA: It was a response to the high octane blame game revving up in Washington.
REP. MIKE PENCE (R), INDIANA: This incident occurred on April the 20th. It really wasn't until April the 28th until the administration fully deployed federal resources.
ACOSTA: Republicans have zeroed in on the spill time line. The B.P. oil rig exploded on April 20th. Three days later, the Coast Guard said no oil was leaking from the well. But the next day, the Coast Guard revealed oil actually was seeping out. On the 29th, the Department of Homeland Security designated the spill of national significance.
That same day, a Coast Guard official referred to B.P. as a partner in the crisis, then corrected herself.
REAR ADM. SALLY BRICE-O'HARA, U.S. COAST GUARD: Given the professionalism of our partner, B.P., and -- maybe partner was -- let me back up.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They are not our partner.
BRICE-O'HARA: In terms of -- bad choice of words.
ACOSTA: Around of Sunday talk show interviews, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano was pressed on whether the Coast Guard had relied too heavily on B.P.
CANDY CROWLEY, HOST, "STATE OF THE UNION": Who is in charge of this?
JANET NAPOLITANO, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: Well, I think the commandant stated it very accurately, B.P. is the responsible party.
ACOSTA: And whether the administration's response was too slow.
DAVID GREGORY, NBC NEWS: Is this a situation of playing catch- up?
NAPOLITANO: No, not at all. We had DOD resources there from day one. This was a situation that was treated as a possible catastrophic failure from day one.
GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: And, Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job.
ACOSTA: Now, some conservatives are making comparisons to President Bush's handling of another Gulf Coast disaster.
RUSH LIMBAUGH, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: That damn oil slick, Obama's Katrina.
CHRIS WALLACE, FOX NEWS: You know some critics are saying, this could be Obama's Katrina.
NAPOLITANO: I think that is a total mischaracterization.
ACOSTA: One comparison that is being considered by the White House is the Exxon Valdez disaster. Administration officials warn the Gulf Coast spill could be much bigger than Valdez because it could take 90 days to stop. Exxon waged a legal battle that lasted years after its spill, ultimately succeeding in reducing their payout for damages.
The president indicated this won't happen this time.
OBAMA: B.P. is responsible for this leak. B.P. will be paying the bill.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA: Now, after the Exxon Valdez disaster, the oil industries did start paying into a special fund that was set up by the government to cover the cost of big spills. The good news is that there's more than $1 billion in that fund. The bad news -- that might not be enough.
John and Kiran, there are some estimates out there that this could top $14 billion.
ROBERTS: Yes, it's definitely going to cost B.P. a whole lot of money. And, you know, that's just the cleanup and then there's the lawsuits that are inevitably going to come down the pike as well.
ACOSTA: That's right.
ROBERTS: Jim Acosta this morning -- Jim, thanks so much.
Coming up next on the Most News in the Morning: we're going to talk to an expert on oil spills about efforts underway to contain this disaster. Is there any solution in the foreseeable future? Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Off of the coast of Louisiana, teams are working on five different potential fixes for a broken well that is still pouring thousands of gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico every hour. The White House is putting the blame for this disaster squarely on B.P., the company that operates it.
CHETRY: And the oil giant is admitting that it could be days before the leak is stopped. And if none of the plans worked that they are trying, it could actually be months before they can drill another well to get down there and shut it off.
So, right now, we're going to bring in Chris Reddy. He's with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. And he studies the effects of oil spills like this.
Good morning, Chris.
CHRIS REDDY, WOODS HOLE OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTION: Good morning.
CHETRY: So, you studied spills like this for a living. You've been on the ground and seen these types of slicks up close and personal. When you look at this massive slick right now that they are dealing with the Gulf and the Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar saying that it could be catastrophic.
Give us an assessment of what you think just how potentially large the impact area is -- how much damage could we be talking about?
REDDY: Well, obviously, any oil in the coastline or even in the water is not good. The extent is just completely unpredictable. Every oil spill is different -- every oil spill is different and it's difficult to make any direct comparisons. But certainly, these short- term effects that are occurring as we speak and, hopefully, we can shut off that valve below the surface.
ROBERTS: Well, Chris, what areas of the Gulf Coast are most at risk? You know, you take a look at the Mississippi Delta and it's just so rich in terms of biodiversity, hundreds and hundreds of miles of salt marshes. What happens if the oil gets in there?
REDDY: Yes. Well, one of the -- one of the -- one of the more impressive parts of the response team that's down there is that they have maps of various -- of the most sensitive and the areas that need to be protected the most.
The areas that are one of the most susceptible are salt marshes. They -- once the oil hits them, it's very difficult to clean them and, as well, they play an important habitat and they help stop erosion. So, the salt marshes are an area of significant interest.
ROBERTS: You know, there's already so much subsidence going on in that area, so many acres of wetlands being lost to the ocean. If the oil gets in there and kills off the grasses that are, you know, tenuously holding that together -- could we see that problem with losing so much of the delta, it actually accelerates?
REDDY: If the oiling is very substantial, then you could have loss of the marsh grasses. The grasses act like the rebar in cement and they certainly could affect or increase erosion. So, yes. But hopefully, that would only be real significant oiling. So, if it's just light oiling in the areas of the grasses, then likely, they'll make a rebound.
CHETRY: So, as we talk about that and you just said the most important thing, is trying to get this shut off, I mean, before you can even worry about all of other things. You got to stop this leak.
REDDY: That's right.
CHETRY: A couple of things B.P. is trying -- they want to -- they're in the process right now of building these so-called containment domes and that would actually cover the well and then they find a way to pump the air back to the surface. They're also adding chemical dispersants, they say, underground to try to get rid of the oil down there before it actually does come up to the surface.
And then, of course, the original solution that -- I guess it's worst case scenario because of how much time it would take -- is to dig the second well to plug the original one. It could take 90 days it says.
What do you make of all of these potential fixes?
REDDY: Well, I really can't comment on the first and third. I mean, I wish them the best of luck and I know that they're working really hard to that. Adding any chemical dispersants -- adding any chemical to the environment is never ideal. But in this case, the people down in the command and control centers down in the area decided that that was an idea or a solution -- a better solution than letting the oil spill out.
And so, in this case and they are pretty (VIDEO GAP).
ROBERTS: Well, we're just having one of those days. The reason is that there are so many thunderstorms down in the Gulf Coast all the way up, stretching along the Atlantic coast and into the area where Chris is this morning. And we've unfortunately lost his signal as well. But we're going to take --
CHETRY: I guess it's all the way up to Boston. But --
ROBERTS: Yes. We're going to take a chance though and try to bring Rob Marciano, whom we lost about a half hour ago, back up.
CHETRY: Yes. He's going to give us the travel forecast right after the break, and we'll work out these Monday morning kinks as best we can.
ROBERTS: There you go. It's a brand new week, brand new set of the problems.
And in 10 minutes' time, the commander-in-chief turns into the comedian-in-chief. Some highlights from this weekend's White House Correspondents' dinner still ahead.
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CHETRY: Forty-five minutes past the hour right now.
We want to update you on some breaking news this morning out of Detroit where a police officer was murdered overnight. We're getting some new video now from the scene. Police telling local TV station, WXYZ, it all happened around 3:30 this morning on Detroit east side. The officers were responding to a break-in call, they were met with a barrage of bullets when they got to the door.
Witnesses say they heard more than a dozen shots fired. The department says that one officer was killed and four others were rushed to the hospital, along with the suspect. We're still waiting word on the conditions of the others, and we'll update you as soon as we get information.
ROBERTS: Let's get a quick check of this morning's weather headlines right now. Rob Marciano joins us. He's in Gulfport, Mississippi this morning. Rob, based on the problems we've had with satellite signals today, there's a line of thunderstorms stretching at least from Gulfport, Mississippi all the way up into Boston.
MARCIANO: Yes, this is amazing, stretch of storms and certainly not going to help efforts down here as they try to battle that oil offshore, but it was a historic weekend, unfortunately, for the folks across parts of the mid-south and the Tennessee Valley.
Nashville and the surrounding suburbs seeing some of the worst flooding that they have ever seen. Flood gauges well above record levels in many spots. Take a look at some of the video, devastating results as well. At least 11 people died from the flash floods, and the rain is still coming down, at least in eastern parts of Tennessee.
Amazing stuff, the amount of automobiles and the weight of things being drifting away, obviously rescue efforts nonstop there as those waters rose to historic levels. All right. Let's talk about how much rain they saw. Some of these numbers definitely are records. You better believe it. Camden, Tennessee seeing 17.7 inches, Brownsville, Tennessee 17 inches, Nashville seeing 13.53 inches, and again, some of the suburbs surrounding natural unofficial reports of over 20 inches, and for judging out some of that video, I believe that wholeheartedly.
All right. Where's the rain now? It is still in Tennessee but mostly east of Nashville, thank goodness, but there are a number of flash flood watches and warnings that are posted. And the rain stretches northeast into the Ohio River Valley and then it will be getting into the northeast part of the U.S. as well and bright red in through the Atlanta area. That's slowing down travel. Montgomery back through, yes, Biloxi and Gulfport, it has been coming down here along the Mississippi coastline. Look at all the flash flood watches and warnings. The red is the warnings and that's in eastern parts of Alabama. Gets into metro-Atlanta and eastern parts of Louisville.
So, there's a ground stop at the Atlanta Airport until at least 7:00 a.m. Eastern, maybe longer than that judging by the radar. So, if you are traveling through Atlanta, you're going to have some issues today and elsewhere likely as well. As far as what we expect the rain plume to do today, gets into the mid-Atlantic and does stretch up into the northeast. This front across the southeast is going to stall. That's not necessarily good news for anybody in the southeast, especially here along the Gulf Coast. I suppose that the only sort of good news is that we won't see it as strong as southerly flow a wind, which would -- which has been pushing that oil towards the north and east slowly but surely.
But unfortunately, John, you know, I wish I could tell you that, but all of this rain down here is helping to wash away the oil, but as you know, oil and water don't mix and that's not necessarily the solution. We'll be covering, obviously, throughout the week. Back to you, guys, in New York.
ROBERTS: All right. Looking forward to it. Thanks so much.
CHETRY: Really need the winds to die down and some of the booming that they were trying to use to protect the coast, I mean, is useless in the wind.
ROBERTS: Yes, swells are just too high and the oil washes right over it. Bad scene down there.
CHETRY: It is. This morning's top stories are just minutes away, including New York back to normal this morning but quite a scare over the weekend. Police are still hunting for a possible suspect who terrorized Times Square over the weekend. Commissioner Ray Kelly is going to be joining us with an update on the investigation.
ROBERTS: And 15 minutes after the hour, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano on the Times Square bomb scare and the gulf oil spill. There are now critics calling it President Obama's Katrina. Did the White House move too slowly to address it.
CHETRY: And at 25 minutes after the hour, an AM Original, an emotional soldier's story and Mother's last day at home. The final precious minutes with her 2-year-old daughter before leaving to join the army. Those stories and much more at the top of the hour.
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ROBERTS: It was a dream weekend for "A Nightmare on Elm Street," The New Freddy Krueger film debut in the top spot of the box-office taking in $32 million this weekend.
CHETRY: Some of our brave soldiers in Afghanistan are showing off a new talent. The 82nd Airborne can get down to Lady Gaga.
That's pretty impressive. OK?
ROBERTS: Clearly, they've been in the country too long. It's time to bring them home.
CHETRY: Maybe they can perform at the, you know, the video movie awards or something. They're pretty good.
ROBERTS: Oh my gosh.
CHETRY: Do you remember the other one we saw, it was the one soldier --
ROBERTS: No. There was what?
CHETRY: The one out that was out of Texas. I'm going back to, a town in Texas.
ROBERTS: Oh, I remember that.
CHETRY: It was crazy. It was edited so well and everybody had their own little part in the video and, and it just continuous video. It was pretty cool.
ROBERTS: I was thinking of the inmates, it was in Indonesia or the Philippines, all dancing the "Thriller".
CHETRY: That's pretty amazing, too.
ROBERTS: While the soldiers showed up their moves, their commander in chief was trying his hand at comedy at Saturday's night annual White House Correspondents Association.
CHETRY: Yes, and breaking tradition, President Obama went before the events headlining comedian. Is that a break with tradition?
ROBERTS: Yes. It usually the president was last.
CHETRY: The president didn't spare anyone. He was pretty funny about it including Leno himself.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I wasn't sure that I should actually come tonight. Biden talked me into it. He leaned over and he said, Mr. President, this is no ordinary dinner. This is a big (EXPLETIVE WORD) meal!
It's been quite a year since I've spoken here last. Lots of ups and lots of downs, except for my approval ratings, which have just gone down. But that's politics, it doesn't bother me. Besides, I happen to know that my approval ratings are still very high in the country of my birth.
The Jonas Brothers are here. They are out there somewhere. Sasha and Malia are huge fans, but boys don't get any ideas. I have two words for you, predator drones.
Though I am glad that the only person whose ratings fell more than mine last here is here tonight. Great to see you, Jay. I'm also glad that I'm speaking first because we've all seen what happens when somebody takes the time slot after Leno's.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: He got them there. Pretty good.
ROBERTS: Yes, always want to be first.
CHETRY: That's right. Exactly.
ROBERTS: Top stories coming your way right after the break. Stay with us. We got three minutes now until the top of the hour.
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