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BP Continues Attempts at Stopping Further Oil Spread; Arizona Bans Ethnic Studies in Public Schools; President Karzai visits U.S.; Dutch Boy the Only Survivor in Libya Jet Crash; Precious Metal Strikes All-Time High; Disgraced Cop Shot Himself: Fired for Making Up Story

Aired May 13, 2010 - 07:00   ET

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

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. It's Thursday, May 13th. I'm Christine Romans in today for Kiran Chetry.

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Good to see you this morning.

ROMANS: Thanks, John.

ROBERTS: Thanks for being here. I'm John Roberts. Good to see you this morning. Here are the big stories we'll be telling about coming up in the next 15 minutes.

A critical test failed. A warning sign ignored. Charges this morning that BP knew something was going wrong just hours before the oil rig in the gulf exploded but decided not to stop operations leaving some lawmakers wondering if this monumental disaster could have been avoided.

ROMANS: Arizona approves a measure banning all ethnic studies classes, worried that they promote resentment of other racial group. This is, of course, right on heels of Arizona's controversial new immigration bill. We're looking at both sides of this controversy this morning.

ROBERTS: Plus, a Philadelphia cop who was shot in the line of duty was hailed as a hero, but now the evidence in the case is painting a completely different picture. What really happened and why the city's police commissioner is worried that it could inflame racial tensions.

ROMANS: And the "A.M. Fix" blog up and running this morning. We want to hear from you on the BP story, Arizona cutting its ethnic studies course in the high school, or anything else in the news. Join the live conversation at CNN.com/amfix.

ROBERTS: But we begin 4,950 feet beneath the ocean surface for our very first look at the source of an environmental disaster. BP finally releasing these pictures of the broken oil pipe that is spewing oil and natural gas into the sea. The black bubbling discharge is oil. The white substance that you see is natural gas just venting ought of that pipe. David Mattingly is live this morning in Grand Isle, Louisiana. David, the so-called top hat containment box, the smaller box than the one dropped down last week, is now in the ocean floor, ready to be deployed. What's the time line for putting that atop of the broken pipe?

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They're hoping to have that in play sometime today, possibly tomorrow. They've actually got two plans working simultaneously right now. One would be to put that dome, that small dome, the top hat over that leaking pipe today.

If that doesn't work, then they have another plan where they would insert a tube inside that large pipe to collect the leaking oil. So they've got two plans simultaneously ready to go.

And this is all because of the failure of that first attempt last week of that massive containment dome. When we look at that video that BP gave us, we're looking at the cloud of black oil coming out of that pipe. This is a massive pipe. It's about 22 inches wide. So that gives you some perspective on how much oil is coming out.

But you also see a white cloud of gas. And that gas was responsible for forming those crystals inside the dome and essentially clogging it up. So they're hoping to avoid that problem today, as they try this new, smaller dome and possibly that pipe, if the first dome doesn't work.

ROBERTS: David, Congressman Ed Markey yesterday in Congressional hearings basically accused BP of making it up as they go along. If the top hat doesn't work, in the insertion of the riser into the pipe doesn't work, what else do they have in their back pocket?

MATTINGLY: The next planned action here will be in play sometime late next week. That's called the "junk shot," where they will essentially be shooting solid matter and liquid, junk, into the piping that they have down there with the intent to clog it up.

Of course, BP is taking criticism for everything here, including this idea, saying this sounds like a very low-tech solution to a very high-tech and very dangerous problem. But the plan is, to inject that in there, clog up the pipes, make sure that this oil stops completely until they get their wells drilled to cap it permanently.

ROBERTS: David Mattingly in Grand Isle, Louisiana for us this morning, thanks.

Right before that oil in the Gulf exploded into flames last month, BP knew there was a problem with the well but did not halt production. According to California Congressman Henry Waxman, BP officials privately admit that the well failed a critical pressure test just hours before it blew.

That test suggests that natural gas could be seeping into the system which would be a cocktail for catastrophe. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. HENRY WAXMAN, (D) CALIFORNIA: Information reviewed by the committee described an internal debate between Trans- ocean and BP personnel about how to proceed. What we do know is that shortly before 10:00, just two hours after well operations apparently resumed, gas surged from the well, up the riser, and the rig exploded in a fireball.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: And 11 workers on that rig are missing and presumed dead. We called BP to get their reaction to Congressman Waxman's claim. The oil giant says the matter's being investigated and that they won't have any comment until that investigation is complete.

ROMANS: Also right now, the White House is rolling out a plan to beef up fund for the oil spill relief efforts. Among other things, the $118 million package would compensate out of work fishermen and provide additional money to monitor the oil's impact on seafood from the Gulf.

Our Ed Henry is live at the White House. Ed, how would the White House pay for this?

ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Christine. As you know, there's already a tax of eight cents a barrel on each barrel of oil that oil companies have to pay into a liability fund. The White House wants to increase that tax by one penny per barrel, raise some more money, obviously, by doing that.

What would they do with the money --- $100 million for the Coast Guard, at least one advance to them to help pay for their costs. The Coast Guard has been shelling out a lot of money trying to deal with this. Also, you mentioned, $2 million for the Food and Drug Administration to take a look at the impact on seafood in that region.

I think when you take a step back, thought, the big picture here, the White House is watching this story just as we are, and seeing that it keeps drags on. The American people are seeing no answer here to this. So they're trying a full court press to try every angle they.

You know, from the beginning the president on down to his aides saying they're going to have the boot on the throat of BP. BP will pay all costs here, and he mentioned fisherman, et cetera. But every time we've pressed BP officials, they say we're going to handle all legitimate claims. Well, do legitimate claims cover fishermen? And they say all legitimate claims.

We've seen that over and over in testimony on the Hill. I think the White House is trying to make sure they've got contingencies, they've got money lined up to make sure hair attacking this from all angles, Christine. ROMANS: There's no doubt that legitimate mean two big groups of highly-played lawyers trying to hash out what "legitimate claims" means. But this isn't the only thing on Obama's plate. He's just coming off this big meeting with the president of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai.

HENRY: Big deal, because as you know, a couple weeks ago there was a lot of feuding going between officials in the Obama administration and the Karzai administration. President Karzai himself at one point suggested they may sort of join forces with the Taliban if the west didn't stop interfere with him. That wrangled a lot of people at the White House, obviously, because of what the Taliban is up to.

Ad so I think it was a virtual love-fest, not quite a love-fest yesterday, because the bottom line is the White House has made a cold, hard political calculation. President Karzai, as flawed a leader as he may be, as flawed an election as that was, he's going to be the leader for four years.

They've got to work with him. They've got to find a way to work with him, Christine.

ROMANS: Thanks so much, Ed Henry.

ROBERTS: New controversy in Arizona this morning. Governor Jan Brewer just approved a bill banning ethnic study classes in public schools in the state. The new law forbids courses that are designed primarily for peoples of a particularly ethnic group, advocate the overthrow of the United States government or advocate resentment towards a race or class of people.

Dozens of students protested the bill at a press conference, chanting that their education was under attack, many of them wearing shirts reading "Legalize Arizona."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTO RODRIGUEZ, ETHNIC STUDIES ADVISER: I think it's an attack on the Mexican-American communities and all ethnic communities in the city and communities of Arizona. I think it is ridiculous, completely outlandish, horrendous, and diabolical.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: And Arizona's recently passed immigration bill is still having ripple effect. In Los Angeles, the city council has voted to boycott Arizona businesses and governments. Council members say that immigration law in Arizona encourages racial profiling, violates the 14th Amendment because it requires police to question anyone that they think is an illegal immigrant.

And at 8:40 eastern we're going to speak with Arizona school superintendant Tom Horne. He's the one who wrote the bill, pushed hard to get the ban passed, and state lawmaker Kristen Sinema, she voted against it. ROMANS: And new this morning, those at home DNA tests won't be on the shelves in Walgreens tomorrow after all. The FDA wants the chain to wait warning the test hasn't been proved safe or accurate. The test promises to show your risks for developing conditions like Alzheimer's or heart disease.

ROBERTS: South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford confirming reports that he spent last weekend in Florida with his Argentine lover. Sanford admitted that he was trying to rekindle the relationship that wrecked his marriage and nearly cost him the governorship.

ROMANS: The Republican Party choosing Tampa, St. Petersburg Florida for its 2012 presidential campaign. Tampa was one of three finalists to host the convention along with Phoenix and Salt Lake City. Democrats are expected to make their convention choice later this fall.

ROBERTS: The Gay and Lesbian Alliance against Defamation, or GLAD, is demanding an apology from "Newsweek" magazine. At issue, an article that suggests gay actors can't play straight characters convincingly. The "Newsweek" spokesperson says it's unfortunate the author's argument has been, quote, "misunderstood."

ROMANS: A nice surprise for the summer's travel season, perhaps. Experts predict gas prices have already peaked and could fall below last summer's high, which was around, if you remember, $2.70 a gallon.

ROBERTS: Although the price of oil is on the rise again, right?

ROMANS: Yes, it is.

ROBERTS: All right. And Jerry Seinfeld is going to donate all of the proceeds from tomorrow's show in Nashville to charities helping with flood relief. He's one of dozens of stars and organizations who's offered to help after a string of storms killed 34 people in three states and damaged or destroyed thousands of homes.

(WEATHER BREAK)

ROBERTS: She killed them on "Saturday Night Live." And she got there thanks to Facebook, and a new generation Betty white fans, and they've decided they're not going to stop there. There's now a group, several of them actually, that are out to get her to host next year's Oscars.

ROMANS: Her career got white-hot again after her role in the comedy "The Proposal" and after getting clobbered in this very funny Super bowl ad. The Academy of Motion Pictures and Arts and Sciences says it's not quite ready to let Facebook make it's casting decisions for Hollywood's biggest night just yet.

ROBERTS: Do you think she'd do a great job?

ROMANS: I think she'd do a great job.

ROBERTS: Me too.

Well, it's a miraculous story of survival. One boy pulled alive from the wreckage of a deadly plane crash in Libya. We'll get the latest on his condition and the investigation into why the plane went down as it was trying to land. It's 12 minutes now after the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: New this morning, and we want to warn you, the next video is hard to watch. The FBI in Washington is looking to a possible hate crime today after a Seattle detective is seen threatening and appearing to kick a Hispanic man who was mistaken for an armed robbery suspect.

The incident happened last month. The officer has publicly apologized and has also temporarily been placed on administrative reassignment.

ROMANS: The state of Hawaii making it legal for its employees to ignore anyone who files repeated requests for information about President Obama's birth -- you think someone is filing repeated request for Obama's birth records? Republican Governor Linda Lingle signed that law yesterday. The state's health department says it still gets 10 to 20 E-mails each week asking for the president's birth certificate.

ROBERTS: OK, so conspiracy theorists, have you got that? The Republican governor signed the order.

Officials in Libya still investigating what caused the crash of an Airbus jet in Tripoli. One hundred three people were killed when the Afriqiyah Airways flight went down. It was trying to land. It was tantalizingly close to the runway. But amazingly, there was a survivor, an 8-year-old Dutch boy.

Our Phil Black has got the latest from Amsterdam this morning.

PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Christine, John, it was first expected that the young survivor was deaf because according to the Dutch government he was heard to cry out Holland, Holland several times. We're now told that the embassy officials in Tripoli have seen the child. And the hospital there has confirmed with CNN that he is an 8-year-old Dutch citizen. His name is Ruben van Assouw (ph). The hospital says that he suffered extensive fractures to his lower legs. He underwent surgery yesterday.

Today, he is awake. He is talking and incredibly, he's doing well. He is stable. The plan now is to carry out further tests and scans to be sure of the extent of his injuries. He was one of 93 passengers aboard that flight of which the vast majority were Dutch, around 60 or so. Forty-two passengers on that flight were due to connect to a flight in Tripoli that would bring them here to Dusseldorf in Germany. This is just a short distance from the Dutch border. The airport in this German city is often used as an exit and entry point for Dutch travelers, particularly those living in the southeast of Holland.

We do know that yesterday at Dusseldorf airport some relatives of some of those passengers who were due to fly in, turned up at the airport expecting to greet their loved ones. They hadn't heard about the earlier crash in Libya. Back to you, Christine, John.

ROMANS: All right, Phil Black. Thanks, Phil.

Switching gears here from that big story to what's happening in Wall Street. Incredible, it seems that all that glitters is gold. Precious metal rocketing to record highs, but gold's gain means someone else's pain, doesn't it?

Stephanie Elam is here. Hi, Stephanie.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, it's certainly true. A lot of people looking at gold and its recent tear. Why is it going up so high to these record levels? I'm going to tell you right after this. You're watching the Most News in the Morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: All right. At these prices, I may shake you down and see what you got in your pockets, any watches, rings, anything that we can sell because at $1,200 an ounce for gold, rocketing to another record high yesterday.

Stephanie Elam is "Minding Your Business." And it's interesting because it's $700. I remember doing the segment saying --

ELAM: Yes.

ROMANS: -- asking all the so-called experts, should you buy or sell right now? And some said, oh, it's at $700, geez? Others said it's going --

ELAM: And people were like ah, they are freaked out by that.

ROMANS: I know.

ELAM: And then you look at -- you look at where we are today, they're like, (INAUDIBLE). And exactly where we are today is at $1,243. That over the last year is up more than a third of a percent. So you're talking about a gain there, a solid chunk a bit of money. And there's a few reasons why. And then there a lot of people probably wondering why do I care about gold and why are so many people doing this to make gold go up?

Well, let's break it down for you. There's a few reasons why. For one thing, remember that stuff we were talking about with Greece and the uncertainty about the European Union and whether or not they'd be able to control those issues there in their debt? People like something tangible in uncertain times. So when they look for something like that, they go gold. I can hold a bar of gold in my hand. I can put my money in it and it feels better.

Also, some people are saying, hey, you know what? Things are going to get out of control on the inflation side so I can get gold for that reason. And then also you have foreign banks that are stockpiling, because they want to make sure no matter what happens with the European Union, whatever happens with the United States and our economic worries, they want to make sure that they have enough stockpiling of financial security for their sake. So you've got countries like India and China, Russia, doing all of that and stockpiling.

But I must point out something. You were talking about the $700 mark. We are actually not at our highs. We look at it based on inflation.

ROMANS: Right.

ELAM: You have to go back to 1980. In 1980, it was at $825. But if you adjusted that to 2010 numbers, that's $2,180.

ROMANS: So the gold bugs say there's more to go?

ELAM: Right.

ROMANS: We'll make it that way.

ELAM: Right. So if you look at it that way, we're not at our peak of all time.

ROMANS: Metal prices have really been rallying. This is people looking for safety and security. And you know, you see on TV, you see all the gold advertisements. Bring us your gold. You got to be careful about turning in your gold.

ELAM: Be very careful about that.

ROMANS: The fact that you can get a lot of different prices, you can tell we're really above the gold today, right? My husband lost his wedding ring at the peak of gold prices.

ROBERTS: You sound like you have --

ROMANS: I was like, honey, you've done it on a downturn, please.

ELAM: Wait, so you weren't mad that he lost it. You were just mad that he did it at the wrong time when prices were peaking.

ROMANS: No, I'm just kidding.

ROBERTS: You have a lot of experience. You have a lot of experience with this, Christine. Make sure if you're going to take your gold out and sell it, shop around. You get the best deal.

ELAM: Take a look. We're talking about -- I wore my gold earrings today since I figured we'd be talking gold.

ROBERTS: Real nice.

ELAM: Yes. Work it out.

ROBERTS: Then we can hark (ph) them later on.

ELAM: Yes, exactly.

ROMANS: Thanks, Steph.

ROBERTS: A lot of baby clothes to buy.

ELAM: Yes, and right around here. John is in a --

ROBERTS: There's a lot of progesterone in the room. I can feel my hair getting more luxurious already. Wow. My goodness. See you in this hour.

So coming up -- it's coming up now at 24 minutes after the hour. He was shot in the line of duty and called a hero. But now one Philadelphia cop's story is unraveling and unraveling fast. He lost his job and the respect of his community. We'll explain just ahead. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. A Philadelphia cop who just weeks ago was being called a hero has now lost his job and the respect of the city's police force. He was shot in the line of duty, but his fellow officers found a lot of holes in his story. And as our Randi Kaye tells us, now police finally know who pulled the trigger.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was 4:00 in the morning in Philadelphia when the radio call came in. Cop shot. A white police sergeant said he'd been shot by a black man. Officers responded in force. An all-out search of the African-American neighborhood in Philadelphia's 19th precinct where Sergeant Robert Ralston said it all went down.

(on camera): The sergeant told the story this way. He'd come across two black men along the railroad tracks on the morning of April 5th. One ran away, he said. The other pointed a silver revolver at his head. He knocked it away, he said, but it fired anyway. And the bullet grazed his left shoulder. He also said he fired one shot but wasn't sure he struck the suspect.

(voice-over): Police gave thanks their man had survived. Tragedy averted, they said. The white cop described the shooter this way: dark skin, braided hair and a tattoo next to his eye. But police never found the black shooter or anyone matching that description. And now, more than a month later, we know why.

The real story? The two black men the cop said he encountered never existed. Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey says Sergeant Ralston made the whole thing up.

COMM. CHARLES RAMSEY, PHILADELPHIA POLICE: It was clear to us soon after it took place that this simply was just not true. Just the evidence just didn't support the story he was giving.

KAYE: But wait, what about the sergeant's shoulder wound? The commissioner said Sergeant Ralston actually shot himself, which may be why he said, he got off one shot at the suspect. An explanation as to why his gun had been fired.

RAMSEY: Our test was run on his shirt. The powder on the shirt matched the same kind of ammunition we use in the department.

KAYE: That's right. The gunpowder on the sergeant's shirt was the same kind his own weapon used. And there's more. The angle at which the bullet struck him didn't square with his story either, says the commissioner. We tried to ask Sergeant Ralston to explain, but outside his home, he dodged our cameras and ducked inside.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you tell us why you did that, sir?

KAYE: Neighbors called the sergeant's actions a sad statement.

BRAWLY JOSEPH, SGT. RALSTON'S NEXT-DOOR NEIGHBOR: I can't believe he would really do something like that. That's really uncalled for. He -- ever since I lived here, he's really been like anti-social on this area.

KAYE (on camera): What's still unclear is why Sergeant Ralston, a 21-year veteran of the force, would make up such a wild tale. Only after hours of interrogation, police said, did he finally admit he shot himself on purpose. The police commissioner says he may have done it for a job transfer or maybe for attention, but that the sergeant didn't give a reason.

(voice-over): The police commissioner calls this a quote, "terrible and embarrassing chapter in the department's history."

RAMSEY: The fact that he stated that two African-Americans were involved in this, again, just, I think, inflames tensions in our community, something that we certainly do not need.

KAYE: Sergeant Ralston has been suspended with pay. The commissioner says he will be fired. He was given immunity in exchange for his confession so he doesn't face criminal charges. But he'll have to pay for the massive manhunt to find his phantom suspects. Cops are still adding up the cost.

The days of calling Sergeant Robert Ralston a hero and crediting his quick actions for saving his own life long gone.

Randi Kaye, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: The Philadelphia Police Department is going to retire Sergeant Ralston's badge number for good. And the "Philadelphia Enquirer" reports that Ralston will likely cost still be able to collect his pension which will cost the city about $24,000.

ROBERTS: Wow, what a story.

Half past the hour now. That means it's time for this morning's top stories. Mr. President, "I need a freaking job, period." That's the welcome billboard greeting President Obama when he arrives in Buffalo, New York, today. An area in decline way before the recession hit. It's a stop on his White House to Main Street tour, the sign put up by grassroots group with the same name "I need a freaking job."

ROMANS: Vice President Biden said his son Beau is feeling much better after he suffered a mild stroke. But will probably have to rest for a month. Beau Biden is 41 and Delaware's attorney general.

ROBERTS: Our first real look at the gusher at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico. The source of the growing environmental disaster. BP releasing these new pictures of the oil spill, erupting at the rate of over 200,000 gallons a day. Along the shore in places like Dauphin Island, Alabama, the sludge could change lives forever. And there is an all out effort to try to hold it back.

Our Reynolds Wolf is live along the Gulf Coast in Gulfport, Mississippi this morning and joins us with what they're doing there to try to keep the oil off the shore. Good morning, Reynolds.

REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, John. As you mentioned, I am coming to you from Gulfport Beach. The situation here is very quiet at this time. You look around and you don't see a soul on the beach right now. You see a couple of places where people are going to be enjoying the sunshine, perhaps playing some volleyball later on, maybe going out and jet skiing.

But from this vantage point, there's no sense of urgency that there's a giant oil spill, easy for me to day, off shore, say for some protective boom, this maybe a mile or so down the coast. However, about 83 miles from this exact point over in Dauphin Island, the scene of the situation is entirely different.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WOLF (voice-over): It's not your typical day at the beach. Driving across the island, there's no sign of tourists, but there are plenty of visitors.

(on camera): All kinds of military vehicles. We've seen humvees. We've seen earthmovers. We've seen backhoes. Things you wouldn't normally expect here on Dauphin Island, especially this time of year.

(voice-over): This fortress of dunes erected by the Alabama National Guard. And on coast, another weapon in their arsenal, this specially designed barrier to save the island from ecological disaster.

(on camera): So it's like a giant strainer, so to speak?

DAN KOONS, COORDINATOR, C.I. AGENT SOLUTIONS: Actually, it's the world's oil-water separator, perhaps the world's longest oil and water separator.

WOLF (voice-over): Dan Koons battle strategy depends on this white powder which could literally turn the tide in this war against oil.

KOONS: As the oil passes into the basket, it will come in contact with the polymers and turn it into a solid.

WOLF: Here's how it works.

KOONS: This is diesel fuel. Let me show you. These packs are dissolvable film. These will not hurt animals, people. That's all there is to it.

WOLF (on camera): It sounds easy enough.

KOONS: It's very simple, it's the first time it's ever been tried. But the way we've got it designed we have every confidence that it will work.

WOLF (voice-over): Dan's army states the mission. The National Guard carries it out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're tasked to do something and we do it.

WOLF: And it's no small task, if they fail, this natural habitat could be lost. In over a week, Sergeant First Class James Clemens and his company have fortified more than four miles of shoreline. Sand, magic powder and plenty of faith.

(on camera): Do you think you can hold it back?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: God willing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WOLF: What's interesting, John, the barrier that they're using right along the shoreline is called a Hesco barrier, and if it looked as though the Alabama National Guard seems very familiar with that barrier, they certainly were. They've used similar things to those structures in Afghanistan and Iraq. But instead of using that polymer filled up with sand, it made a very good fortification. Let's send it back to you.

ROBERTS: Yes. There are so many amazing ideas from people to try to mitigate the oil spill there. Some people even suggesting using hay, which is pretty good at soaking up oil.

Reynolds Wolf for us this morning. Reynolds, thanks so much.

WOLF: Absolutely. ROBERTS: Tell us what you think about the oil spill and what's being done to try to clean it up. Who's to blame. How much should BP pay? Go to our blog at CNN.com/amfix.

This disaster just the latest of many that the people across the Gulf Coast are suffering through. Find out how you can help. Go to "Impact your World" at cnn.com /impact.

ROMANS: They haven't seen their children in nearly a year but now the mothers of three American hikers captured in Iran have been granted visas. We're talking to one hiker's family about the agonizing wait. It's 35 minutes past the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

ROBERTS: New developments this morning for three American hikers detained in Iran. Their mothers have been granted visas to visit them. Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd and Josh Fattal were arrested last July, accused of spying, they have been in prison in Tehran with little opportunity to talk to their families.

Josh Fattal's mother, Laura, joins us this morning. She's in Philadelphia. And his brother Alex is with us from Washington. Folks, great to see you this morning. You know, we've had you on so many times. We've been following this story and Laura, it's finally great to have you on to talk about some good news. How are you feeling this morning about all of this?

LAURA FATTAL, JOSH FATTAL'S MOTHER: As you can see I'm a happy woman. I'm a happy woman, and I cannot wait to see Josh. And the visa's being granted yesterday was just so wonderful. It was a wonderful morning when I picked up those visas.

ROBERTS: Yes, you were you down in Washington yesterday to pick them up. You actually brought flowers with you. What was that all about?

LAURA FATTAL: Yes, Alex and I went to the Iranian intersection, and we brought a dozen red roses. Roses are the national flower of Iran. And we were delighted to be able to present those flowers to the intersection as a small thank you for granting us visas.

ROBERTS: You know, Alex, it's interesting politics at work here, that your brother and his two friends have been held by Iran on charges of espionage since last July. And yet at the same time, you're bringing flowers to say thanks for granting the visas. Tell us a little bit about that?

ALEX FATTAL, JOSH FATTAL'S BROTHER: Well, just as a clarification, I mean, there have been public statements by Iranian officials to insinuate espionage, or something is totally absurd. But our lawyer, Mr. Massoud Shafi'i (ph) -- he has had limited access to the case file. And what he has seen is only charges of illegal entry. They're being held on illegal entry charges only. We understand the fine for that is only a few hundred, $50 to $300, something like that.

We'd happily pay that and hopefully end this ordeal. But it was an important humanitarian gesture on the part of the Iranian authorities. And it's something we certainly appreciate. I was riding over in the cab with my mom, and yes, she was getting very emotional.

ROBERTS: I'm sure.

ALEX FATTAL: Saying, you know, it might happen. It was beginning to feel like a reality. And we wanted to present roses to the Iranian authorities to thank them for their humanitarian spirit in finally allowing this visit and hopefully, more humanitarian gestures will be forthcoming.

ROBERTS: Yes, I mean, we should point out, Alex, that you as well have applied for a visa. They haven't given you one yet. But back to Laura. So what happens from here? When do you go?

LAURA FATTAL: We hope to travel early next week. Very early next week. And the three mothers will go together.

ROBERTS: And have you had any indication from Iranian authorities yet of how this is going to work on the ground?

LAURA FATTAL: We're working with the Swiss embassy in Tehran. That is, of course, Ambassador Leu (ph) is the ambassador of Switzerland to Iran. And she will be coordinating most of our trip. And really, it is through her, that we are coordinating where we will go and working with the translator, almost 24/7 when we're there.

ROBERTS: Now, you and I spoke about this on our 8:00 show on Tuesday night, just as you got word that the visas were being granted. Do you have some thought that maybe this will be more than just a visit?

LAURA FATTAL: Well, we are optimistic. It portends perhaps even greater things. But we are grateful for this humanitarian gesture. And we can look forward to absolutely hugging, kissing and embracing Josh on my part. And of course, Cindy and Nora, Shane and Sarah. And all of us just being together. But we hope, of course, for even greater measures of this gesture.

ROBERTS: And that would be to be able to bring them back home with you?

LAURA FATTAL: Absolutely.

ROBERTS: Right. Alex, you know, there's been limited contact with your brother, Shane and Sarah. But we're hearing reports that at least Sarah and Shane are having some health problems. What's going on there?

ALEX FATTAL: Yes, that's a cause for tremendous concern. And you know, it's been wonderful to see how the reporters have responded to the news going back to April 22nd when there was the third consular visit. We got those reports that Sarah is facing potentially a very serious health concern. Shane has a stomach ailment. We don't know exactly what it entails. All three of them are really, at that point, very despondent at the lack of movement on their case.

The lawyer, Mr. Massoud Shafie'i (ph) was not able to get in and see them. He has been asking repeatedly for access to his clients. So they were considering a hunger strike. I mean, all of these is very disconcerting. This trip could not have come at a better time. I think the mothers really need to see their children, need to lay their eyes on them, make sure that they're OK, that they're in decent health, enduring.

And hopefully, the case will move forward and this will be resolved in a timely fashion. People on Facebook and Twitter, Free the Hikers, have been chiming in with so much support, especially since news of these visas have come through. And of course, our web site, Free the Hikers.org, has plenty of information for people who want to get involved in the campaign. There's certainly a lot of momentum and optimism now where we certainly haven't had that for long periods of time in the past.

ROBERTS: Well, it sure would be terrific if they let them go when you go over there, Laura. But at the very least, you get a chance to see him. That certainly is a positive development. Laura Fattal, Alex Fattal, good to have you on again. Thanks for updating us. Really appreciate it.

LAURA FATTAL: Thank you so much, John.

ROMANS: They've waited so long.

ROBERTS: Oh, boy. I just can't imagine.

ROMANS: All right. It's 44 minutes past the hour. Jacqui Jeras will have this morning's travel forecast, right after the break.

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ROBERTS: Good morning, Dallas, where right now it's cloudy, 76 degrees. Later on today, batten down the hatches. It will be hot, 84 degrees, but lots of storms around.

ROMANS: Spring in Dallas.

Jacqui Jeras is checking the morning's weather for us. And so, if you're in Dallas, Fort Worth, Jacqui, bring the umbrella?

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Oh, yes. Absolutely. There's some thunderstorms just to the west of there as we speak, and, you know, some of them might hold together as they push through the area. I think there's like a 30 percent chance that you're going to get a thunderstorm in the next hour and a half or so in Dallas. You can see it's much heavier to further north that you go.

And look at this blowing (ph) out across in the Fayetteville area. Some of these thunderstorms could be causing some wind damage, gusts around at 65 miles per hour or so with it. Get on the northern tier of this system and our biggest concern at this hour is flooding rain.

Man, these storms have been moving over the same area the last two days and really bringing incredible amounts of rainfall, in fact, one to three inches easily across this area. Chicago is getting another line of storms, moving on through. Milwaukee, you're getting soaked right now, and Detroit, you're just starting to see this move in.

So we'll watch for solid rain throughout the morning. Definitely going to need the umbrella there. You can see we've got flood watches across the entire area and some flood warnings now issued, including you in Chicago.

Now, as you take a look at some of the airports delays, O'Hare's already got a ground stop in effect, expecting additional delays throughout the day today. We're going to be getting close to that 60- minute mark for sure. Detroit, St. Louis and Dallas, because of the thunderstorms, Denver, some fog this morning, you should be fine for the afternoon. Cincy and San Francisco will do it (ph), just some low clouds, you could see some delays.

Here's the big picture for today and that's really the main storm system in town. It's kind of a slow mover here. We'll watch it eventually make its way to the northeast to bring you guys some rain as you head into the weekend. High pressure dominating your weather across parts of the west, and this high pressure is actually some great news because you've got some calm wind and we've got some fires burning in Southern California right now.

Pictures to show you out of Riverside County where 300 acres have burned already and forced a partial evacuation of a mobile home park. Those winds will be calm today and firefighters then hope that they should be able to contain this thing, maybe even by 8:00 A.M. this morning, so a little bit of good news.

And, John and Christine, just a note for you on fire season, we haven't been looking at a lot of pictures like that so far this fire season. It's been unusually calm. In fact, we're below 50 percent of what we normally would see in terms of number of acres burned so far this year.

ROMANS: Really?

All right. Jacqui Jeras. Thanks, Jacqui.

ROBERTS: Well, Carrie Prejean, Ms. California 2009, got in trouble after half nude photographs of her surfaced on the web, but this year's Ms. USA contest were nearly as naked during an official photo shoot for the pageant.

ROMANS: Critics are saying pageant owner Donald Trump went too far with this one. Some of the women were on beds, others wearing fishnets and knee-high boots. But Trump has defended the racy promo pics, the pageant calling them hot, yet tasteful. ROBERTS: Yet another new development in the life of Donald Trump.

This morning's top stories just minutes away, including what BP knew that may have saved lives. New testimony that says they were warned before four million gallons of oil started poisoning the Gulf of Mexico.

ROMANS: At four minutes after, miracle survivor. How an eight- year-old boy is doing after being pulled alive from yesterday's devastating plane crash.

ROBERTS: And at 40 minutes after the hour, Arizona's next stand, banning ethnic studies in school. Are the classes anti-American or is the decision to ban them anti-American?

Those stories and more coming your way, beginning at the top of the hour.

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ROMANS: New this morning, a military decoration that might confound veterans. The top commander in Afghanistan is considering a medal awarded to troops who practice courageous restraint. In other words, for those who don't kill civilians. U.S. military leaders say the idea is in the beginning stages and consistent with its approach to war.

Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr is live in Washington. Good morning, Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Christine.

Well, there really is no way to discuss this other than bluntly. Yes, General Stanley McChrystal, the top commander in Afghanistan, his staff now reviewing a proposal that could someday award combat medals to U.S. and NATO troops for not killing civilians. That's the blunt fact.

What they're talking about is this -- that restraint, fire restraint in a situation where civilians may be killed might be something that a soldier would get a medal for. In fact, General McChrystal's spokesman sent us a statement regarding this, saying, quote, "In some situations our forces face in Afghanistan, that restraint is an act of discipline and courage, not much different than those combat actions that merit awards for valor."

Now, General McChrystal of course has made it a top priority for U.S. troops to reduce civilian casualties in Afghanistan. He has restricted air strikes. He's restricted nighttimes raids. But these incidents are still happening, and there's a great deal of anger amongst the Afghan people about all of this.

But the idea of rewarding someone for not killing a civilian is particularly odd, many soldiers say. All of -- you know, when I heard about this, I just walked right up to the first army soldier I could find and asked him what he thought about it, and, I have to tell you, he rolled his eyes. He said, look, we are all about discipline and restraint. We are trained not to kill civilians, even under extraordinary combat circumstances. He said, why would they give me a medal for doing my job and doing the right thing?

So we'll see if this idea really takes hold. It might get a very odd reaction right from the troops, Christine.

ROMANS: And it would be interesting to see who would get this, what kind of circumstance would -- would arise that someone would get -- would get this medal. It would have to be kind of an exceptional circumstance, I would imagine.

How does it show in how they're -- how -- the new way they're waging war, thinking about war?

STARR: Well, they think what this is is another indication of how much General McChrystal is focused on his words, protecting the people in Afghanistan. That's what this is all really about, reducing civilian casualties, making the Afghan civilians feel that their country is safe and secure to live in, that they can resist against the Taliban influences, all of that.

So, on the Afghan side, this is likely to be received very well. But for U.S. troops who say they exercise fire discipline and restraint on the battlefield, getting a medal for not killing a civilian may be a very odd thing -- Christine.

ROMANS: Barbara Starr at the Pentagon. (INAUDIBLE). Thanks, Barbara.

ROBERTS: It does sound a little strange, doesn't it?

ROMANS: It does. It really does. But it also shows you the reality on the ground.

ROBERTS: Yes, definitely. They want to try to do anything they can to minimize the casualties there.

Three minutes to the top of the hour. We've got your top stories coming your way right after the break. Stay with us.

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