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Stopping the Gusher of Oil; Team From Abu Dhabi Heads to Gulf of Mexico; Oliver Stone Revisits 'Wall Street'; Make Cars a No-Text Zone; Senate Panel Passes Flood Aid

Aired May 14, 2010 - 11:00   ET

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


FREDERICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Well, live from Studio 7 at the CNN World Headquarters, the big stories for this Friday, May 14th.

A lot more oil may be gushing into the Gulf of Mexico than BP actually claimed. This hour, President Obama with help for Americans squeezed by the disaster. Plus, an oil leak 911.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our job is to be prepared 24/7 in case of any emergency.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. How one Middle Eastern oil state keeps environmental hazards in check.

And these days, teens are all about the OMGs and the LOLs. Well, parents, we'll show you how to take control of your teen's phone to make sure there's no texting while D-R-I-V-I-N-G, driving.

Good morning, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield, in for Tony Harris.

Those stories and your comments right here, right now, in the CNN NEWSROOM.

All right. BP is pressing ahead with efforts to stop the gusher of oil in the Gulf of Mexico, even as new questions surface about how exactly how much oil is leaking. An independent researcher says it could be 70,000 barrels a day rather than 5,000.

Within the last hour, the head of the Coast Guard responded to those concerns.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADM. THAD ALLEN, COMMANDANT, U.S. COAST GUARD: We first thought it was 1,000 barrels and then we thought it was 5,000 barrels. Frankly, whether it was 1,000 or 5,000 or 10,000 or 15,000, our mobilization of resources have been for something far beyond that, because we're always prepared for a catastrophic event.

So we have not been constrained in our planning or our resources or our tactics by the flow estimates. And I would urge us all to remember we're operating in an environment where there is no human access, and the only parameters we have are a two-dimensional video presentation and any remote sensing that we can do out there.

So, while all of that goes on, ultimately we're going to have to know the extent of the spill for national resources damage assessments and other things. As far as the current response, we're on top of everything on the surface and doing a great deal to break this slick up, and deal with it offshore so you don't have the impacts here.

I think that needs to continue, but as far as how we're actually conducting the response, that can run its course. We're attacking this as if it was a much larger spill anyway.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. Let's get an update right now on BP's efforts to stop that leak.

CNN's David Mattingly joins us now, live from New Orleans.

So, what is BP actually doing that we know of, David?

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, what they've got in place right now that they're going to try first is an insertion tube. They lowered all the pieces to the bottom of the ocean yesterday, and today they're going to try and put that insertion tube inside that leaking pipe that we've seen spewing all of that oil into the Gulf of Mexico.

If that's successful, they'll be able to siphon that oil up to the top of the surface and into a containment ship there. If that doesn't work -- and we should know within the next 24 hours, maybe even sooner if that is going to be successful. If that doesn't work, then they're going to try the top hat containment dome that we've heard so much about, so Plan A and Plan B, both ready to go. They're going with the insertion tube first, then we're going to see if that is the one that finally works here.

WHITFIELD: Something else we heard from Admiral Allen, he said the spill is changing, the dynamics of this spill. What are the advantages to this, if there are any?

MATTINGLY: Well, he was saying that it's not turned into a big, large, thick oil spill. It's sort of like popping up here and there in different places and different textures.

The only advantage behind this is that you're not going to see a large amount, a tremendous amount of oil coming ashore in any particular place and just decimating part of the coastline in the Gulf Coast. But you still have all of these hydrocarbons, 5,000 barrels, 10,000 barrels, 20,000 barrels. At this point, who knows exactly how much is going out there? But you have all these hydrocarbons that have been going into that environment every single day, and the majority of that hydrocarbon substance is going to remain in that environment for quite some time. WHITFIELD: All right. David Mattingly, thanks so much from New Orleans. Appreciate that.

All right. Meantime, BP says it has paid $450 million to fight the oil leak so far. That's $100 million more than it reported just a few days earlier, and it breaks down to about $10 million a day. It's a staggering amount any way you look at it, but it doesn't sound quite bad when you consider that's only about a week's profit for that oil giant.

That's right. The company says it made $5.6 billion in the first quarter of this year, which breaks down to about $440 million in a week.

President Barack Obama meets with his advisers to discuss the oil leak in the Gulf. We'll hear from the president this hour. His remarks are expected at 11:50 Eastern Time. We, of course, will carry live coverage of that from the CNN NEWSROOM.

All right. Other top stories we're following.

(NEWSBREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A number of groups are rushing to help clean up the oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico, or offering up ideas, at the very least. At least one is halfway around the world, in Abu Dhabi.

CNN's Mohammed Jamjoom is there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MOHAMMED JAMJOOM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In Abu Dhabi, one of the world's largest oil producers, prevention is key.

AYEDH AL MASSABI, SUPREME PETROLEUM COUNCIL: We learned from others. You know? What others' mistakes, we learn, and we implement them, this learning to protect our area.

JAMJOOM: Ayedh al Massabi heads up the crisis management team for Abu Dhabi's Supreme Petroleum Council. When and if an oil spill happens, he and his team must be ready to deploy and deal with it within an hour.

ILHAB EL SAFTAWI, SUPREME PETROLEUM COUNCIL: Our job is be prepared 24/7 in case of any emergency.

JAMJOOM: This warehouse stores all the equipment they'll need. Some of it's even been used in other cleanup efforts, like when the team went to assist with Egypt's oil spill in 2006. And it will be used again.

The team is now preparing to go help in the massive cleanup effort under way in the Gulf of Mexico. MASSABI: So we are sharing knowledge. We are sharing information every time, because this is a crisis. And it can happen any time. You know? It can happen now, it can happen in this area, or in a foreign area.

JAMJOOM: Abu Dhabi has learned the hard way. In 2000, mangrove trees lining its coastline were severely threatened by an oil spill. Thabit al Abdessalam's organization took the lead in rehabilitating the area.

THABIT AL ABDESSALAM, ENVIRONMENT AGENCY ABU DHABI: As you can see, the mangroves are healthy.

JAMJOOM: Protection of this ecosystem is a priority. Since the spill, a water-monitoring program has been put in place and sediment tests are now done regularly.

ABDESSALAM: One group (ph), basically, essentially, in that they act as filters for the west (ph) also. So, there is a dual function. I mean, you would want to see that the water is clean, but also, the mangroves contribute to making that water clean.

JAMJOOM: Abdessalam says the damage could have been far worse. 2000's oil spill was small, compared to what the Gulf of Mexico is facing. But it's not just the amount of oil that plays a part.

MASSABI: So, our strategy at the Supreme Petroleum Council is to control the whole area of Abu Dhabi, to protect the whole area, the sea life, the humans, the environment. So this is our land and our philosophy.

JAMJOOM: Mohammed Jamjoom, CNN, Abu Dhabi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: President Barack Obama is meeting with his advisers to discuss the oil leak in the Gulf at this hour, and we'll hear from the president actually later. His remarks are expected at 11:50 Eastern Time. Of course we'll have live coverage of that, right here, from the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. The Cannes Film Festival is in full swing in the south of France with a showing of Oliver Stone's follow-up to the 1987 blockbuster "Wall Street."

CNN's Brooke Anderson tries to find out if greed is still good.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Unscrupulous investment banks, Wall Street corruption, economic disaster -- those sound like stories from any leading newspaper. But here at Cannes, they're not headlines. They're plot points in the latest film to premiere here, Oliver Stone's "Wall Street: "Money Never Sleeps." MICHAEL DOUGLAS, ACTOR, "WALL STREET: MONEY NEVER SLEEPS": And when I got out, who was waiting for me? Nobody.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is not about the money. This is about you and me.

ANDERSON: This is Stone's follow-up to his 1987 hit movie "Wall Street," which defined the excess of that earlier era and glamorized corporate raiders. Stone, whose father was a New York stock broker decades ago, is hoping the timeliness, the relevance of his new movie, resonates with filmgoers.

(on camera): You have said the first "Wall Street" was a morality tale.

OLIVER STONE, DIRECTOR: It was, but nobody listened. Nobody listened.

ANDERSON: I know! How would you describe this one?

STONE: It's a different movie. It's a bookend. It's not a sequel. It's more like Gekko, Shia LaBeouf has integrity. In the original, Charlie Sheen did not until he found it later.

ANDERSON: It's a very timely movie.

JOSH BROLIN, ACTOR: It's a very timely movie. Very.

I mean, look at what's happened, September of '08. And this was written actually before that, but then Oliver got a hold of it and he personalized the story and made it a very emotional story. You see Gordon Gekko in the beginning having been broken. That's a great place to springboard from, you know --

ANDERSON: It's great. It certainly is.

BROLIN: -- 23 years later.

ANDERSON: "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps" hits theaters in September.

Brooke Anderson, CNN, Cannes, France.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. BP hasn't been able to cap the Gulf oil gusher. That we know, but if you have ideas for the cleanup, some are asking for that creativity, to share it. You'll see.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: All right. So how do you overcome tragedy, to rediscover your zest for life? If you're Dana Cummings, you focus on what you can do, not on what you can't. This week's CNN Hero takes us and others along for the ride.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA CUMMINGS, CNN HERO: When I learned to surf it was amazing. You feel such a powerful connection with the Earth and the water.

I'm a veteran. I served in the Gulf War. I came back without injury.

In 2002, I was in a car accident and lost my leg. When you come become disabled, you feel trapped. And when I felt the first breath freedom, of riding that wave, I was, like, this is so good, and it was so inspiring. I wanted to share that feeling that I had with others.

I'm Dana Cummings, and I started an organization to help people focus on their abilities, not their disabilities, through surfing. We work with people with disabilities. A lot of are veterans. We just want you to feel the rehabilitative power of the ocean and surfing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I got hurt on my way home in the Navy. I remember waking up in a V.A. hospital and not being able to move my legs.

CUMMINGS: It's just amazing, the recovery he's made, because he was told he would never walk again. Now he's surfing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I owe a lot to Dana and AMP Surf. And what it does physically for me and what it does emotionally, mentally, is priceless.

CUMMINGS: Come on. Here you go, Brian. Catch this wave, buddy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was a little nervous, but once we got started I wasn't scared anymore. It was really great.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I actually got up on the first wave. Definitely coming back to do this again. It was awesome.

CUMMINGS: We always want to give our participants the power and the passion for life that we have. They're going to push themselves to the best of their ability, and if we can give them that self- confidence, that is a gift, and no one can ever take that away from them.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Wow. That's beautiful, the healing powers of surfing and Dana Cummings. So, in the past six years, Dana and his group have taught more than 300 disabled people how to surf.

So, to nominate somebody that you think is changing the world, go to CNN.com/heroes.

All right. Using human or animal hair to soak up the oil in the Gulf, does this really work? What solutions do you have? (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The U.S. Coast Guard says the massive oil leak in the Gulf is no longer just one giant pool of oil.

Last hour, the commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard described the situation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: It is very widely dispersed, and it's hard to kind of manage the perimeter of that. But on the other hand, if there are shore impacts, it's come to shore in smaller quantities that are basically smaller subsets of what might have been a larger spill. I guess I would tell you it's kind of changing in character over the lifecycle of the event, and that's not necessarily a bad thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: An independent researcher is raising new questions about the size of the leak. His estimate is based on analyzing video released by BP.

The Purdue University professor and Gulf historian Douglas Brinkley were guests last night on CNN's "ANDERSON COOPER 360."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEVE WERELEY, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, PURDUE UNIVERSITY: For that particular 30 seconds that the video was running, the flow out of the pipe was 70,000 gallons per day. The rate at which it was coming out was 70,000 gallons per day.

ANDERSON COOPER, HOST: I want to bring in Doug Brinkley on this.

WERELEY: Yes.

COOPER: Doug, I mean, 70,000 gallons versus 5,000 gallons, that is an extraordinary difference.

DOUGLAS BRINKLEY, HISTORIAN: Well, and it's certainly is going to be more than 5,000. Now that we've have the video of the gusher, it's not a spill --

COOPER: Right.

BRINKLEY: -- it's gushing, we're having people from Woods Hole Laboratory in Massachusetts, one of the finest places for oceanographic studies in the country, professors from Florida -- these are the top people -- saying it's a lot more than British Petroleum told us.

(CROSSTALK)

COOPER: And I misspoke. I meant 5,000 barrels, and compared to 70,000 barrels. I said gallons before. Go on, Doug.

WERELEY: Exactly.

BRINKLEY: Yes. And it's just a lot more, Anderson, than BP has told the public. They're -- again, they waited until after the congressional hearing this week. And now we've got the video footage of what's going on undersea. For the first time, people are able to do calculations for themselves.

We need more transparency out of British Petroleum. And it might be the time for the U.S. government to possibly appoint a Navy admiral -- not the Coast Guard, a Naval admiral -- get a flotilla in the region. If this much oil, as these professors that are experts, oceanographers, are saying is really spilling out and gushing out right now, than we -- this is a federal crisis. It can't be dealt with on a corporate level.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right.

While BP is struggling a way to find a way to stop the oil leaks, small businesses and regular citizens are coming forward with their ideas for the cleanup. Somme of them -- the ideas, that is -- very interesting.

Ines Ferre joining me right now to talk about a few of them.

So, we're talking about hair. We've gotten used to that idea. And now lamas?

INES FERRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, there's all sorts of ideas that people are coming up with, but let me show you some of them.

One of them is prairie grass to help clean up the oil slick. Now, this Minnesota farmer says that he has about 600,000 pounds of it. Don Vogt says that the grass naturally floats, and with the help of the water, collects the oil. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DON VOGT, MINNESOTA FARMER: The oil is probably leaning on the ocean at maybe 16 centimeters thick. If this stuff was put out in the right way and with the water action, it's going to make a mat this thick. Now, if they can put a magnesium torch on it, then it will burn.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: That's a pretty fascinating idea.

FERRE: Yes.

WHITFIELD: I'd love to know what the scientists think about that. FERRE: Definitely. And Fred, there are other ideas that some people have. The owner of one Boca Raton company saying that he has this biodegradable material, and it's perfect for stopping oil from washing ashore, and he says all you do is you sprinkle this powder substance on to the oil, and within weeks, it turns into dirt. The powder is made from sugar cane and fibers and also it has microbes that actually eat the oil. And then check this out. This is from a material, the same material that's made to make bags of rice or dog food. This material is woven into a string like --

WHITFIELD: Wow!

FERRE: Yes, a material there that you see, and it attracts oil absorbing the water, and they call it the quicker oil picker upper. Different companies that have come up with ideas and people who are just saying, hey, I've got a solution.

WHITFIELD: Yes, they want to help. That was pretty demonstrative. So, what about BP? Are they say anything about these ideas, the solutions being tossed about?

FERRE: Yes, actually, they say that they've set up a hotline. They told me that they received over 2,000 calls with suggestions. People who have come up with ideas, and they're saying that you can actually call this hotline. It's 281-366-5511, and what they do is they take these idea. They take down your name, and they've got engineers. They've got the experts that go through these ideas and then they sift through them and see if they can be taken to the next level.

WHITFIELD: Wow! We're all hoping for some help, you know. Some real solutions here because I think everyone universally feels pretty aggravated, or you know, is pretty worried about this spill. Ines, thanks so much.

FERRE: You're welcome.

All right. Among those pretty worried about it, the president, himself, is meeting with his advisers, in fact, to assess this oil leak in the gulf right now. We'll hear from the president in actually just a few minutes. His remarks are expected to take place at 11:50, Eastern Time. We'll, of course, have live coverage as it happens.

All right. Texting while diving. Just about everyone is doing it, right? But shouldn't. You don't want your teens in particular to do it, right? Our guest is going to be showing you ways to actually take control of your kids' cell phone. It is a matter of safety.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: OK. For the first time, Americans are using cell phones for data more than they are actually using them for calls. Texting is the most popular data function. A recent survey finds the average teen sends 1500 texts a month and a third of them, texting while driving. So parents, you can stop that dangerous habit just like a cold or can you? All right. Tech expert, Katie Linendoll is live from New York. All right. Katie, good to see you.

KATIE LINENDOLL, TECH EXPERT: Good to see you as well.

WHITFIELD: Yes, it seems like, you know, every kid is texting, adults, too, but we really don't want our kids texting while driving. So, let's begin with something that's called a text blocker. All right. What is it?

LINENDOLL: Exactly. Well, it's a deadly combination, and it's very popular in the news right now and rightfully so. So, what it's all about is text blocking applications and what they do is they utilize the GPS in your cell phone, and after you go over a certain mile per hour, they will block you from texting while you're driving, but the cool part about it is is there's really an array of options out there available and depending on what your phone is and what it's compatible with.

So, for example, you can't just block texts, you can also block out parameters. So, for example, if you don't want them in school texting, you want them focused, you block out a no-phone zone which is kind of cool. But then what I love is you can also utilize in this GPS technology in the cell phone, you can even pinpoint their exact location at any time.

WHITFIELD: Ooh, you're spying on them.

LINENDOLL: So, say, for example, they're like hey, -- what's that?

WHITFIELD: You're spying on them.

LINENDOLL: I know. You're totally spying on them, but it's brilliant because it's putting the control back in the parents' hands because they're so worried about their kids texting while driving that they felt powerless. So, this really gives them an opportunity to go ahead and install these very easy applications. You know, give them the control right back.

WHITFIELD: OK. So, that brings us to where do you find them because I know a lot of parents are intrigued by this. Textecution.com is one and another is txtblocker.com. Give me a little bit more about them.

LINENDOLL: Yes, and I love the text blocker because what this do is, again, they all have different options, but txtblocker, for example, after you go over certain mile per hour, it's going to say, hey, you can't text while you're driving. It's going to disable that function, but also, it can be as crafty as if they go over certain mile per hour, let's say they're going 70 miles per hour, it will actually send the parent a text and says your kid's speeding and then even further, it can pinpoint their location.

So say, for example, they're like, oh, I'm going to study biology at school. You find them at the Taco Bell, they're busted. So, what it does is that it really brings out the fun police in every parent, but it's, again, a great way to really monitor your child in this digital age.

WHITFIELD: OK. Say you've got to text. Your kid got to text. You got to text back. There are some alternatives, drive safely is another. Explain how this works.

LINENDOLL: Yes. This one's a little different because, again, we don't want to put the blame all on teens. We have all texted while we're driving. This one is cool because you can get a family plan which is awesome and what it does is it actually speaks to you the text. So, instead of disabling your texting while driving, it will just give you voice activation. Without picking up your phone, you can actually respond by your voice as well. So, it's a different kind of approach there.

WHITFIELD: OK. And then say, you know what? There's absolute zero tolerance. You're saying, no, I don't want you to be able to text at all, period. What in the world is this?

LINENDOLL: Yes.

WHITFIELD: I don't even know how to pronounce it.

LINENDOLL: Getiz up.

WHITFIELD: Getiz up. OK.

LINENDOLL: The no holds barred. Yes, it's a no holds barred solution. And when it does is it distracted drivers are just not good. So, it cuts out everything. As soon as your GPS in your phone knows that you're going over, say than 10 miles per hour, it's going to disable everything. Of course, you will still have the access to 911, instead of phone calls, about three in advance, if you need to use them for emergency purposes, but it's going to block your phone. It's going to block your text. And what's really smart what they did, izup actually will not reactivate your texting until after a few minutes when you stop driving. So, no red light cheating which is very popular.

WHITFIELD: I think that's kind of when I get a chance just do a little text. I do not text while driving. I'm just not pushing enough and I don't want to get into an accident, of course, but I do, maybe, at the stop light --

LINENDOLL: Right.

WHITFIELD: So, I understand.

LINENDOLL: That's the only time I hope for a red light.

WHITFIELD: Right. Katie, I know you're going to be back because we get a new cell phone, we get a new gadget, we want to know how in the world do we delete all the information that was in our old stuff. You'll be returning next hour to show us how to delete information from the cell phones so that perhaps you can recycle it without any worries.

In the meantime, let's get another check of our top stories right now, President Barack Obama met with cabinet members and other senior officials this morning to discuss the BP oil leak in the gulf. We're waiting on his remarks now from the president in about ten minutes from now. Of course, you can see it right here live on CNN.

And quite a find at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. The SMU Meadows Museum recently discovered three of its most prominent works linked to Adolf Hitler and his systematic looting of priceless art from Jewish families.

And if you put a for sale sign on it, will they come? The owners of the Iowa farm field made famous in the Kevin Costner film "Field of Dreams" have put the 193 acre site up for sale. If they already to retire, the reported price tag, $5.4 million.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: OK. When trying out something new, it's always nice to get a little advice from an expert. CNN's fit nation triathlon challenger got a chance to bend the year of one of the best seven-time Tour de France winner, Lance Armstrong.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: One of the things all of our athletes told us was that they would love a chance to meet Lance Armstrong, arguably, one of the most inspiring athletes in the world, and obviously, someone who can give them tips about bicycling as well. There he is right there. Say hi to the man right over there.

LANCE ARMSTRONG, AMERICAN CYCLING CHAMPION: Hi.

GUPTA: You were right on cue.

ARMSTRONG: Am I? I didn't want to interrupt.

GUPTA: Good to see you, man.

ARMSTRONG: You, too.

GUPTA: These guys are very excited to meet you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi, I'm Ricky.

ARMSTRONG: Hi, Ricky. Nice to meet you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm Laura. It's nice to meet you.

ARMSTRONG: Nice to meet you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm Richey. Nice to meet you.

ARMSTRONG: Nice to meet you. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pleasure.

GUPTA: All of these athletes have never done a triathlon before, and obviously, they're very interested in the cycling part of it and wanted to see if you had any specific ideas or tips for a first-time competitive cyclist.

ARMSTRONG: I guess the key is to really enjoy it. Obviously, nutrition, hydration is super important especially if the weather is like, today, when it's hot and humid and steamy. Big mistakes can be made if you don't fuel up before the race, the days before, the hour before and then also during.

GUPTA: What did you have for breakfast today?

ARMSTRONG: What I have today? Don't ask me what I had today. We don't want to talk about that.

ANGIE BROUHARD, CNN FIT NATION PARTICIPANT: I had a question for you real quick. I'm a cancer survivor, breast cancer last April. I know you talked about how cancer survivors and it's a community. What advice do you have for those of us who are going through cancer or just getting beyond it?

ARMSTRONG: I've never forgotten those days and never turn your back on this thing, this enemy, this foe that you and I know so well. The support group around you is really critical when you're diagnosed and being treated, but even afterwards, those people have to be great teammates just like they were when you were sick.

DEAN HANAN, CNN FIT NATION PARTICIPANT: When you get to points in the race when you find yourself just getting mentally exhausted, you know, what do you tell yourself at that point?

ARMSTRONG: We all get to the point like, uh, I'm hurting so bad. I can't go any deeper, and you think, wait a minute, I'm doing this for leukemia and lymphoma society. I'm doing this for the American Cancer Society or for Livestrong. And think about all the people that would love to be doing what I'm doing today and they're suffering (ph), so that helps.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You guys did great.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good job!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good job!

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Wow! Who better to get advice from? Lance Armstrong and Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Of course, you can follow our fit nation participants by going to CNN.com/fitnation and be sure to watch Sanjay Gupta MD, this weekend at 7:30 eastern time both Saturday And Sunday mornings only on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: All right. CNN is watching your money just as we are watching news around the world. Of course, if you want to keep up with the financial markets and anything beyond that, CNNmoney.com is the place to go. In fact, let's look at the markets for today. As much as I love the color red, no one wants to see it here. The Dow at10,598. It is down 184 points.

Of course, resounding question is, that gulf oil leak, is it impacting the markets? As oil continues to gush to the surface in the Gulf of Mexico, the cost for BP continues to rise as well. Felicia Taylor is on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange with details on this. So, Felicia, how likely is it that the price tag for BP will reach the billion dollar mark? It is climbing.

Felicia Taylor, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. It certainly is, Fredricka, and the fact is, frankly, if you get into the billions not just a billion. The company, BP, has already spent $450 million, on what? You know, relief, drilling wells, trying to stop that leak, any attempts to do so, so far. They've also been also spending money on, you know, local governments, any money to the coastal states to help that out, but there are also the economic damages that one has to take into account.

They could spend about $75 million on that. That does have a cap. What I didn't mention about that $450 million so far, there's no cap on that. The $75 million goes to affects on tourism that has been lost for local businesses such as fishermen that literally can't go out and make a living right now. However, the Senate is trying to push through legislation that would lift that cap to either $150 million or the greater of which would be damages equal to the last four quarters worth of business at BP.

And frankly, for British petroleum, that's $20 billion worth. As you mentioned before, the stock market is down overall today. British petroleum since the spill has lost about 17 percent worth of its stock value. Today, the stock is down another 3.5 percent.

WHITFIELD: Wow! Pretty significant numbers. And we know the numbers are only going to get greater as this oil continues to leak.

Felicia Taylor, thanks so much on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Appreciate that.

All right. The doctors in Texas call this woman a miracle. You're about to see her. She doesn't remember much after giving birth to her third child because an infection set in and almost killed her. The agonizing decision her husband had to make in the next hour of the NEWSROOM.

Plus, the National Rifle Association is expecting a record crowd at its annual convention. Our Carol Costello has a preview and takes a look at the organization's political clout.

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WHITFIELD: It's a story we're committed to, a flood-damaged Tennessee. The state may soon be getting more federal help. Damage in Nashville alone is estimated to be about $1 1/2 billion. Now, a key Senate panel has approved a bill providing tens of millions of dollars in additional relief.

Destroyed homes and businesses may be the most obvious flood damage, but there are also mental scars caused by that historic deluge. And while they and that may not be outwardly visible, they are a source of tremendous inner turmoil to the people who manage to survive what others could not. Here's Sky Arnold with CNN affiliate WZTV.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If I'm stopped in traffic, I get nervous. So, I try to avoid traffic now even on the street.

SKY ARNOLD, AFFILIATE, WZTV: The flood is hard to forget. You survive seeing your own car swept away. That's especially true for metro school custodian, Carlton Steger. He is never far from this souvenir of the experience.

CARLTON STEGER, FLOOD SURVIVOR: That's basically all I could get. These school keys and they are all rusted.

ARNOLD: The school keys were the only things Steger salvaged from his vehicle. It was part of this May 1st mess on I-24. Carlton says he was moving the last load of clothes to his new home. The traffic stopped.

STEGER: I thought it was a wreck.

ARNOLD: What he didn't know is the heavy rains were flooding the interstate and some serious danger was headed his way.

STEGER: Once the water got up to my door, my car started floating toward the truck of trailer (ph), so I moved in. I had to before I hit and get out.

ARNOLD: Carlton got out and followed other drivers who fought the currents to climb over the barrier wall.

STEGER: I've been in a pool before, but never in water that's pushing you faster than you can walk.

ARNOLD: Once there, he walked several miles on the side of the interstate to Harding Road where more flooding had him praying.

STEGER: Am I going to make it? That's all I could think. I'm praying to God, please, whatever I've done, please forgive me.

ARNOLD: Carlton's prayers were answered when his wife made it through the flood to find him.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. The flooding is blamed for more than 20 deaths in Tennessee and 42 counties have been declared disaster areas.

Hello again, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Top of the hour in the CNN NEWSROOM where anything can happen. Here are today's biggest stories.

BP will try yet another method to cap the gulf oil leak. Experts say much more oil may be spewing from the well than BP actually admits.

Plus, the heart-wrenching story of this.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Waking up in the hospital with no arms and legs. Going, what happened? What's going on here? And then he tells me, and his story will knock your socks off.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Wow. You're online right now and we are, as well. Ines Ferre is following the top stories trending on the internet as well.

FERRE: Hi, Fred. Yes, on CNN.com, the most popular story right now, Dr. Phil weighing in on the video of a 7-year-old dancing to the song "Single Ladies" by Beyonce. Also, on Yahoo, one of the most viewed right now is Sarah Palin saying that mama grizzlies will help Republicans win this November. and you've got something on -- about Facebook as well, launching new security features. Some people saying that they're deleting their Facebook accounts because of security concerns. I'll have more about that in the coming hour.

WHITFIELD: All right. A little bit too much information floating out there. Thanks so much, Ines.

All right. Let's get started with our lead story right now. We could know, by tonight, whether the latest effort to reduce the flow of oil in the Gulf of Mexico is actually working. BP is inserting a tube into the leaking pipe to try and siphon the oil into a tanker. We expect to hear from President Barack Obama this hour about the oil leak.

And earlier, Thad Allan, the commandant of the U.S. coast guard said a number of things are actually being considered to help stop that leak.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADM. THAD ALLEN, COMMANDANT, U.S. COAST GUARD: The other one is to separate (ph) the pipe and put a valve in to close it and the third is to replace some blowout preventer itself or put a second one on. Those three things are going in parallel.

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WHITFIELD: All right. Sorry about that. We're going to try and bring that sound bite from Thad Allen and its completion as soon as we can.

Meantime, our Chad Meyers is with us to give us an idea of some of the options of how to stop this leak. All right. Looks like we're going to hear from Chad a little bit later as well. We're having a little technical problem here.