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American Morning
U.S. Citizen on a Mission to Kill Bin Laden; Local Business Owners Plead with Obama; Alabama Fishing Industry Affected by Gulf Spill; Golden "It" Girl; How Easy is Correcting Cataracts
Aired June 15, 2010 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. Welcome to AMERICA MORNING on this Tuesday. It's June 15th. I'm Kiran Chetry.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. I'm John Roberts. Thanks so much for being with us.
A lot to tell you about this morning over the next 15 minutes.
A construction worker from California arrested in Pakistan. He's accused of trying to cross into Afghanistan on a mission to kill Osama bin Laden. Police say when they caught Gary Brooks Faulkner, they laughed at first. That was until they saw the 3 1/2-foot long sword he was carrying.
CHETRY: Well, Gulf heat on President Obama. Just a week after he said this is not theater, he's using the most powerful political backdrop there is to send a message about the oil spill, a rare Oval Office address. Ed Henry tells us what's going on behind the scenes at the White House.
ROBERTS: And still golden after all of these years. Betty White, now 88 1/2 years old, as she likes to say, is one of Hollywood's "It" girls. We spoke with the legendary comedian about her Super Bowl ad, her new sitcom, and being the last surviving golden girl.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BETTY WHITE, ACTRESS: I never knew how old the other girls were because they would never discuss age. It was so ironic I was older than anybody. And to be the only one left when you're the oldest doesn't seem fair, does it?
ROBERTS: Well, we're certainly glad that you are still here.
WHITE: Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: The entire interview with the remarkable Betty White -- just ahead.
CHETRY: And, of course, the amFIX blog is up and running. Join the live conversation by going to CNN.com/amFIX.
ROBERTS: We begin the hour with an American in Pakistan arrested on a mission to kill Osama bin Laden. The suspect has been identified as 52-year-old California construction worker Gary Brooks Faulkner. Pakistani police didn't take him seriously until they realized he was armed with a 40-inch sword.
Reza Sayah is live in Islamabad this morning.
And this is a rather bizarre story to say the least, Reza. What do we know about this guy and his motives?
REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, John. His name is Gary Faulkner, 52-year-old man from California, married with a kid. Police say he got here on June 2nd.
And he wanted to do what no one has been able to do for nearly a decade now. And that's to find the most wanted man in the world, Osama bin Laden. Police they arrested Faulkner a couple of days ago in the district of Chitral, in northwest Pakistan.
He was staying in a hotel in the region and police they had given him a police escort. Not unusual for tourists who want to do some trekking and exploring in the area, but police say he ditched his escort and there was a manhunt for about 10 hours and they finally arrested him.
When they questioned him, had said he was looking for Osama bin Laden. Initially, police were skeptical until they looked through his belongings -- and among his belongings, a sword, a double-blade dagger, night vision goggles and Christian reading materials. So, very, very strange set of circumstances.
We talked to the U.S. embassy here in Islamabad and they say they have been notified of an arrest of an American citizen. They're working to confirm his identity and get him some consular access, John.
ROBERTS: That area that he was searching for bin Laden in Chitral, any reason to belief that bin Laden might be there?
SAYAH: Well, a couple of years ago, there was some rumors and reports that bin Laden may be here, but nothing to substantiate and to verify. This area is just north of Pakistan's tribal region. The last solid intelligence of bin Laden's whereabouts indicated that he was here after the U.S. forces invaded Afghanistan, intelligence indicated that he may have slipped through the tribal region and Chitral is north of this area. But again, nothing to verify that he is there.
When police asked him what in the world he was doing there, he said he had some sources that had given information about the whereabouts of bin Laden. And he said he's confident that he's going to find him because, quote, "God was with him," John.
ROBERTS: Reza Sayah for us in Islamabad this morning -- Reza, thanks.
CHETRY: Well, there's been a security scare at the Florida military base that serves as the headquarters for U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. A man and woman are now in custody this morning after they tried to enter MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa without authorization. Air Force officials say that the pair was stopped at the gate last night. They couldn't produce proper IDs. A search of their SUV found military uniforms and gear and several weapons.
The base was closed briefly and it's back open this morning.
ROBERTS: It's maybe the most pivotal day for President Obama since the Gulf oil disaster started 57 days ago. He's waking up on the Gulf Coast this morning, the longest stay of his four visits there.
CHETRY: And tonight, for the first time, he'll address the nation from the Oval Office -- the most symbolically powerful setting at his disposal to try to convince the American people that he's doing everything he can to stop the worst oil spill in American history.
Yesterday, he promised Gulf residents that things will bounce back.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's going to take time for things to return to normal. There's going to be harmful effect on many local businesses. And it's going to be painful for a lot of folks. Folks are going to be frustrated and some folks are going to be angry. But I promise you this: that things are going to return to normal.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: A new poll taken over the weekend says half of the country does not agree with him. They believe that the Gulf Coast may be ruined forever.
ROBERTS: And a big majority thinks the president hasn't been tough enough on BP. And he's going to meet in person the company executives tomorrow. Earlier on AMERICAN MORNING, we asked White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs why it has taken so long for the boot to come down.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT GIBBS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: People in -- at all levels of this government and all levels of this response have been in touch with BP from the very beginning. They are drilling not only a relief well to put a permanent end to this crisis in the Gulf but they're drilling a second relief well at the cost $100 million not because they wanted to, but because the government directed them to.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Mr. President's Oval Office address tonight right here on CNN. Special coverage begins at 7:00 Eastern, followed by reaction and analysis on "LARRY KING LIVE." And then live from the Gulf Coast on "A.C. 360."
CHETRY: Well, they've been hit hard by the oil spill. In just a few minutes, we're going to be joined by Robert and Missy Bennett. They own an inn in Mississippi. They had a chance to speak to the president yesterday about what it should be like in terms of tourists coming to visit this time of year and what it is like because of the oil spill.
ROBERTS: Well, there's more severe weather in the forecast today for Oklahoma City, already hit by severe flooding. A CNN iReporter posted this video of floodwaters rushing through the city's streets. Storms dumped as much as 10 inches in Oklahoma City in just a matter of hours.
Officials report more than 130 injuries, but thankfully no one died. At least not they know of yet. The state of emergency is now in effect in 59 Oklahoma counties
CHETRY: Well, Jacqui Jeras is in the CNN weather center for us.
And it seems like we've seen these pictures a lot lately, Jacqui. We just had a lot of intense storms. Or is there some other phenomenon in the works?
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, it's the way our weather pattern is set up, so it allows for these MCCs as we call them, or mesoscale convective systems, and they're just basically big clusters of thunderstorms that hold together for long periods of time and they tend to develop, you know, in the late evening and continue through the overnight hours.
And so, this flash flooding catches people by surprise either late at night or early in the morning when they wake up and drive in and all of a sudden, yes, there is that water right in front of you. We got one of those ongoing right now across eastern parts of Oklahoma.
The radar picture will show you where those clusters are moving. It's breaking apart a little bit, so that's some good news here. But we do expect some redevelopment, particularly in parts of Illinois, Indiana and Ohio late today. And we could see what we call linear thunderstorms which caused quite a bit of wind damage at times.
There you can see the watches and warnings which remain in effect. These things stretch from Wyoming all the way over to West Virginia. So, lots of folks in the U.S. are getting in on the wet weather.
Hot and sticky conditions continue across parts of the south, and that will be the big story continuing there. High pressure just keeping you stuck in the very high temperatures and high humidity. It's muggy out there this morning, guys. It's not fun.
CHETRY: Oh, yes. Not fun at all. All right, Jacqui, thanks.
ROBERTS: Thanks, Jacqui.
World Cup fever has been miniaturized. All you soccer fans out there can relive the U.S./England match play-by-play online. It's been re-created brick by brick with Legos. A German Web site called Lego Fussball actually has a slew of World Cup classics posted, all re-created with everyone's favorite little building blocks. No word from England's Robert Green if his goaltending goof-up is any easier to watch in Lego form.
(LAUGHTER)
CHETRY: There you go.
All right. Well, I wonder -- some of them have little helmets for heads and some don't. There you go. Cute.
ROBERTS: None of them are Richard Roth and his globe pseudo- soccer ball.
CHETRY: Yes. If you saw it yesterday, he tried to re-enact it. It rolled up our set and the entire world broke in half -- right in front of our eyes.
ROBERTS: We've known that the world has been broken for a long time, but now, symbolically, it is where it is in reality.
CHETRY: Well, we're going to check in in Mississippi with two owners of an inn and hotel. They're saying tourism is taking a huge hit in a wake up the oil spill. They had a chance to sit down and talk to President Obama yesterday.
We're going to check in with Missy and Robert Bennett about what the president said to them and if they feel any better after his visit to the Gulf Coast.
Ten minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News of the Morning. Thirteen minutes past the hour right now.
Many of Mississippi's beautiful beaches are free of oil still this morning. But it's just the threat of crude oil washing ashore eventually that's taken a tremendous toll. Tourists are steering clear and the shrimping season is already a bust.
Yesterday, local business owners and officials met with President Obama in Gulfport, Mississippi. And among them, Missy Bennett.
She and her husband, Robert, join us now from Biloxi where they have owned and operated the Edgewater Inn for some 23 years.
Welcome to both of you.
When you look behind you, the water -- the sands are gorgeous. It looks beautiful there. But you guys are still, you know, of course, having trouble because of the oil spill and the threat of oil.
Missy, when you spoke to the president yesterday, what did you two talk about?
MISSY BENNETT, CO-OWNER, EDGEWATER INN: Well, he asked me how's business. And I told him we're off about 40 percent due to cancellations of the perception that we either would have oil or do have oil and, of course, we're fighting that perception because when they show the -- the media shows the oily birds in Louisiana or the marshes in Louisiana and the president, I think, was doing his own fact-finding mission and visiting every area individually and he realizes that we're unique here in the Mississippi Sound in that we have the barrier islands out there to protect us.
So, we don't have any oil in here. We're just blessed with our particular geographic situation here. So -- and I said to him, Mr. President, can you get the word out that we're doing fine here. And he said, I'm -- I intend to do that. I already said that over at the Coast Guard station and I will stay it again.
And come on down and enjoy our wonderful seafood, and he had a seafood lunch with us and he just loved it. He asked for second.
CHETRY: So --
(CROSSTALK)
M. BENNETT: He had a really good time.
CHETRY: I hear you. So, part of it was just the perception problem. Is Mississippi -- Mississippi still isn't in the clear though. I mean, you talked about the unique nature of the barrier islands.
But, a storm, Robert, right, could change everything?
ROBERT BENNETT, CO-OWNER, EDGEWATER INN: That's our biggest fear. A tropical storm would bring the oil past the islands and nothing you could do about it. So, that's why it's so important to control the oil, stop the leak, and then suck up the oil that's floating out there.
M. BENNETT: And the governor is asking for more boom, and the president is now asking other countries to help bring on all the equipment that they have and help us with that and rim the barrier islands and so on in the channels.
And this is part of what he talked to Governor Barbour about it at our luncheon.
CHETRY: Right. So you were also there --
M. BENNETT: Is fortifying the islands. CHETRY: So you were there with Haley Barbour, the governor.
M. BENNETT: Yes.
CHETRY: I saw Thad Allen there as well.
M. BENNETT: Yes.
CHETRY: Other local entrepreneurs and business people?
M. BENNETT: Correct. Well, there were two others. Scott Weinberg, who has the restaurant called the Blowfly Inn which is a very popular restaurant here that's been on the Food Channel and so on. He was there as a restaurateur who is very well known for his seafood dishes.
And then also Richard Gollott who has Golden Gulf seafood processing. So these are three businesses that are highly affected by this. The hotel, the restaurant and, of course, the shrimping and seafood industry.
CHETRY: Right. And, Robert, when Missy mentioned that business is down 40 percent, you're also the president of the State Hotel Association that takes -- you know, that -- it helps all of the hotels in the state. What are people saying to you when they're canceling these reservations up and down the coast?
R. BENNETT: Well, when they're canceling reservations, it's the fear of what might be coming and the perception they have from the news. Now the news and the media is the creator of the problem and the solution to the problem.
The way we're going to have to counteract it is advertising to show that we're -- if we do get affected, that we cleaned it up and we're back to normal. So -- but people, you can't blame them. If you're thinking about a vacation, that's not something that would appeal to you to see animals suffering or oil on the beaches.
M. BENNETT: But that's not the case here in our area. And the president was so impressed with the beauty of the area and how clean it is and he said, I will get the word out. And so on and how much he enjoyed being here in Mississippi.
CHETRY: Right. So one thing it seems --
M. BENNETT: So --
CHETRY: It seems, Missy, is that you guys have the luxury of time that some of the other Gulf Coast states didn't simply because of the geography.
Are you satisfied, though, that enough is being done, that there's enough happening in terms of prevention to make sure you don't end up in the same boat?
M. BENNETT: Well, I think that yesterday was very important when Governor Barbour spoke with the president that -- Admiral Allen also. And they're laying in place plans to -- more or less beef up all of our protections here on the coast.
And I think that with the president being able to see exactly where we're situated and why we were having lunch out on the pier, Governor Barbour pointed out all the out islands to him and described our unique geographical situation here and how important it is to contain it out there.
CHETRY: Right.
M. BENNETT: And pick it up out there. And -- and if it does come on the beaches of our barrier islands, it would easily be picked up because you can distinguish it right there on the sands.
CHETRY: And Robert, just quickly before --
M. BENNETT: So -- rather than letting it in --
CHETRY: I'm sorry. I cut you off. I just want to ask you before we go, in terms of who should pay, who should -- how should BP, as well as the federal government, handle this moving forward? In terms of how you're compensated and how other businesses across the Gulf, livelihoods that are affected, be compensated and -- and how that's going to happen in the future?
R. BENNETT: Well, I like what BP is doing, setting up claims offices. And I've heard some talk about a way to short-circuit the legal process and not have to sue. You know set up a claims process where a businessman can easily file his claim and get compensated.
And then, of course, the government can help setting up businesses that are impacted. Good loan system, a program where they can get low interest loans. Maybe through FEMA or Small Business Administration. That would help.
M. BENNETT: And the president also said that he would cut through the red tape. And so he -- I think that he was really doing his own fact-finding rather than having it filtered through a lot of other people.
And I think -- I think it was really valuable for him to come here and he -- he really got his own feel for the whole situation. And -- it was -- very good. He was very attentive to our needs and our problems.
CHETRY: Well, you guys help get the word out today. Biloxi is open for business. You guys are ready to go. And I wish you the best of luck throughout the season.
M. BENNETT: We are.
CHETRY: Missy Bennett, Robert Bennett, thanks so much.
M. BENNETT: Thank you. Thank you.
R. BENNETT: Thank you, ma'am.
M. BENNETT: Have a good day.
CHETRY: You, too.
ROBERTS: Well, many people across the country are protesting BP. Boycotting it. Are you ready to quit big oil? What you'll have to give up to make your point. You'd be surprised.
Christine Romans with that coming up next. It's 20 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)\
JIMMY FALLON, HOST, "LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON": Last night was game five of the NBA Finals. During the game a Celtics fan threw a bole of vodka on to the court while Kobe Bryant was shooting a free throw. Did you see that? But in Boston that's actually considered flirting. I do that kind of (INAUDIBLE). I should give him my number.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Twenty-two minutes after the hour. Well, it was a sleeper hit in the theaters a year ago. Now another milestone for everyone's favorite movie, "The Hangover." It's now the number one on-demand movie ever.
Industry experts contribute the film's success to a perfect combination of raunchy comedy and genuine emotional and male bonding.
The film was produced by Warner Brothers which is also owned by CNN's parent company Time Warner. A disclaimer there. Oh, and about "The Hangover 2," for all of you fans who couldn't get enough of "The Hangover 1."
CHETRY: Oh no.
ROBERTS: It's already in the works.
CHETRY: Didn't they learn their lesson the first time? Where do you go from Mike Tyson's tiger? How do you move on from there?
ROBERTS: The best part of the movie was the last minute and a half. Just before the credits.
(LAUGHTER)
CHETRY: And then after when they showed all the bloopers, right?
ROBERTS: Yes. (INAUDIBLE), too.
CHETRY: Well, Christine Romans is here "Minding Your Business" this morning. The only thing you are downloading on your DVR is what? "Toy Story?"
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: "Tropic Thunder" --
CHETRY: "Toy Story" --
ROMANS: "The Hangover."
CHETRY: Yes, right.
ROMANS: Yes -- no. Look, I -- yes, actually. Mostly movies like that.
CHETRY: Mostly kiddy cartoons, right?
ROMANS: Yes. I haven't really watched a full movie in a full year. So don't ask me about anything about pop culture. But I can tell you about the energy industry and I can tell you about the BP boycotts.
And if you noticed on your -- on your Facebook pages or elsewhere people are asking you to join this groups to boycott BP, to boycott big oil, to send a message with your consumer dollar that you are not going to support what this company has done in the Gulf.
CHETRY: Easier said than done, right?
ROMANS: Easier said than done. Look, we've been really looking into this. And the way the oil business works is like this. You get the crude oil out of the ground or under the ocean, right? It goes into a big pipeline.
Then it's sent into a huge terminal, a bulk of storage terminal, where sometimes it's mixed together with other oil from other companies. Oil is fungible like money. It's kind of hard to keep BP's oil completely separate from, say, Shell's oil or Exxon's oil.
Then it's wholesale in some cases and it goes to your gas pump. You could be buying BP gas at a BP gas station. You could be buying gas that is also BP gas, say, at a big supermarket store that -- that sells -- that sells -- one of the super centers that sells gasoline.
So you could be getting -- you could be boycotting a BP gas station and still getting BP oil someplace else.
Also, in 2008, BP got out of the gas station business. They sold 11,000 -- I think 11,500 gas stations to independent operators in the United States. So in many cases if you are boycotting your local BP, you are boycotting a guy or a woman who bought that company from different BP and really has nothing do with it.
Now BP -- other than selling in some cases the BP gas.
One thing about BP they're paying for some of these gas stations to have new signage, especially in Atlanta and along the Gulf that say we are not affiliated with BP.
CHETRY: Wow.
ROMANS: We bought this name. Another thing -- so you want to get big oil out of your life. Right? Well, basically most people in 2007 consume per car, I think, 600 gallons -- barrels of gas -- I have to figure that out. But sorry. I have been having the barrel-to- gallon problem since this whole debacle began.
CHETRY: I know.
ROMANS: But you consume an awful lot of gasoline, 12,000 miles I think per car most people drive a year. So that's a lot of gasoline you consume --
CHETRY: Not to mention, if you fly, your household, I mean everything.
ROMANS: Right. Look it. How about clothes, lipstick, computers, umbrellas, shoes? Petroleum products are in all of these things. Big oil is supplying the raw materials for an awful lot of consumer products as well. So --
CHETRY: You guys (INAUDIBLE) for your soon-to-be new baby.
ROMANS: And probably in the diapers crawling. No, but look, you know, there are a lot of different -- a lot of different ways that big oil touches you. So a true boycott -- while I never like to push anybody away from their consumer activism because your dollar does matter. You know it's a little more complicated than just boycotting BP.
CHETRY: It's interesting, though. They're running commercials all over the place. A lot of industry saying -- you know, showing the Gulf Coast and saying we have to find alternative energies. I mean there's all of these commercials airing for and against it. You know the full-page ad.
ROMANS: Yes.
CHETRY: That BP has been taking out of the newspapers. I mean there's a big, big push on to get a point of view out there in the wake of this oil spill.
ROMANS: And a broader discussion could be had about, you know, just what we're using all of the stuff for and whether, you know, we should be finding alternative energies and the like.
But it's -- it just feels like to me like it's always the little guy that gets hurt. Right?
ROBERTS: Yes.
ROMANS: Always the little guy.
ROBERTS: Law of nature.
ROMANS: Yes. ROBERTS: Christine Romans, "Minding Your Business" this morning. Thanks.
CHETRY: Well, still ahead, we're talking more about the spill. Threatening the way of life for shrimpers, oyster men, as Christine said, the little guy.
Ali Velshi is on the CNN Express and he's talking to people on the ground most affected by the oil spill.
ROBERTS: And Betty White, 63 years in the show -- in show business, 88 1/2 years old and she's at the top of her game. We talked with Betty White for a nice period of time coming right up. Twenty-seven minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: It's 30 minutes past the hour, time for our top stories.
Pakistani police say they've arrested an American citizen for allegedly trying to cross the border into Afghanistan. His mission, to try to hunt down and kill Osama bin Laden. He has been identified as 52-year-old California construction worker Gary Faulkner.
Police say that he was alone and he had a pistol, a dagger, and a 40-inch long sword, and was also carrying night vision equipment.
ROBERTS: BP took risky shortcuts to save time and money when it was drilling the well that's now spewing oil into the Gulf of Mexico, that according to government investigators who say that BP chose a design for the well with a very limited capacity to stop methane gas services.
Things with were so bad according to the documents BP drilling engineers sent an e-mail to a colleague five days before the explosion calling the rig "a nightmare well."
CHETRY: BP has ordered 32 centrifuge devices from none other than Kevin Costner's company to help with the cleanup in the Gulf. You may remember Costner came out right after this happened saying he was able to help in this because he had designed these machines that can separate crude oil from water and recycle it at the same time.
The actor told Anderson Cooper he was thrilled when he finally got the call from BP's COO Doug Suttles.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEVIN COSTNER, ACTOR, DIRECTOR: I have had to be silent for the last few weeks as this machine was put through a lot of hoops. And it just passed everything that BP could throw at it, and I chose to believe him. And then today he did. He put us in business and said he will help us. And I think that this is the key, the linchpin that I think people going back to work, and it is certainly the way to fight oil spills in this 21st century.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Costner says he has been working on developing the centrifuge machine and since the early 1990s along with the help of his scientist brother.
ROBERTS: When hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf coast five years ago, oystermen and shrimpers from Alabama suffered a huge setback.
CHETRY: The storm took out their reefs and 00 been able to harvest the area since then. This is the year they actually started to rebuild the reefs, and then, of course, came the oil spill.
Ali Velshi and the CNN Express are in Daphne, Alabama, this morning with more on what life is like now after this latest setback. Hey, Ali.
ALI VELSHI, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kiran and John. I'm here with the CNN Express. Traveling along the gulf coast to see how the economy here has been affected. I will give you a sense of where I am. I'm in Daphne, which is at the northeast corner of the Mobile Bay, Alabama.
Due west across the bridge is Mobile, Alabama. And then southwest over there is the entrance. It is -- Dauphin island, the entrance Mobile Bay.
Right there at the southwest corner of Mobile Bay, there was a big reef there that used to protect the place. That got blown out by hurricane Katrina. They have been trying to rebuild that and repopulate it for oysters. They haven't been able to fish for years.
I spoke to the Alabama Oyster Fishermen's Association president. This was supposed to be the year for them and as you said, the oil spill came. Listen to what he had to tell me.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GORDY WHITE, ALABAMA OYSTER FISHERMEN'S ASSOCIATION: This was going to be the comeback. We were looking for a good year. We had a plan. And things were looking good. And we had it going on.
VELSHI: For the moment, the oystermen are making more money than they would have been fishing.
WHITE: I think that the majority at this time are probably doing is as well or little better than what they normally would. But once this is over, it is going to be devastating.
This is a great community. This community is founded on the fishing industry. Although we have a lot of boat building that goes on and puts a lot of people to work. And people down here work hard. They work with when they get. They don't want handouts.
VELSHI: How do people feel about the administration and president responded to this?
WHITE: Well, you know, the president, he's human also, just like us. He's not going to get out and clean the oil up. And -- he's -- I guess he's in a learning mode, you know, learning what to do. I think mainly waiting on BP to do it p.
But as time goes on, they see where they are not doing what they are supposed to do. Then I feel that he will step in with our workforce and the government and maybe go to work and get this cleaned up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: John and Kiran, you can see there's actually patience that a lot of the oystermen shrimpers are displaying now. Because they are getting that money, they are working as contractors for BP in many cases, but they are concerned that two, three months down the road, their fish stocks ask shrimp stocks and oyster stocks may be decimated for years to come.
And they are very worried about how that will affect them over the next while. It is a big concern around here.
They are going to be listening to the president's speech tonight carefully and we will be with them to do so.
ROBERTS: We are looking forward to that. In terms of shrimping and oystering, and if the oil gets into the oyster beds and ruins the spawning season, it could cause damage for years to come.
VELSHI: They are not just worried about this year. They are -- like you said, they are not just worried about this year. If it really destroys the stock, they have to think about this carefully.
Many of these guys, 300 in the local area, have been out of work for five years. They are going to have to think about something entirely new now if this is not coming back.
CHETRY: It is so depressing to think about for so many reasons. Ali Velshi for us this morning, thanks so much.
In Louisiana they were physically taking the oysters, small little breeding grounds, and they were taking them. When asked where are you going to take them to? We are taking them to Florida for now to preserve what's left.
It is totally different. The mix of fresh and saltwater they get in the Gulf area is totally different from where they are taking them but they had to do it.
ROBERTS: Sometimes extreme conditions demand extreme measures. Just trying to survive. CHETRY: Tonight at 8:00 eastern, President Obama will be addressing the nation from the Oval Office on the oil spill. You can watch it live here on CNN. Our coverage is beginning at 7:00 eastern with the best political team on television.
ROBERTS: At 88 years of age, Betty White is more charming than ever. You get a chance to hear from her coming up next. It's 37 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News of the Morning.
She really is forever young, 88 years old, 88-and-a-half, actually, if you ask her. And Betty White is having a banner year.
ROBERTS: From her super bowl Snickers ad to hosting "Saturday Night Live" to its highest ratings in 18 months, to her new sitcom "Hot in Cleveland," it premieres tomorrow night on TV-Land. Here is a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi. I'm Melanie. I am leasing the place.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have been the caretaker of this house for 50 years. But you can kick me out.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I wouldn't --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Don't worry. If you can escape from the Nazis you can handle anything.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: After six decades in show business, Betty White finally gets her big break. She gets an interview with John Roberts.
ROBERTS: It's a big break. I did manage to sit down with Betty yesterday to talk about her personal renaissance and this year of living famously.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: America has been a country that treasures the young and to some degree has disregarded the elderly. Did you think as baby boomers mature towards retirement that that attitude will change? And could you be the leading edge of the whole new change in attitude here?
BETTY WHITE, ACTRESS, COMEDIAN: I hardly think I would be the leading edge. I don't know where the break comes in. at first when you are starting out in the career you just as soon people don't know how old you are. Then somewhere in the transition, you begin to brag about it. Yes, well I'm 88-and-a-half. Now I don't hide it. Hello, I'm Betty White. I'm 88. How old are you? It is silly. But it is very comfortable, I must admit.
ROBERTS: Earlier this year in the Super Bowl, Betty White -- I mean, you have never left people's sight. You have always been there in my mind I think among the great comedians of our time. But the Snickers commercial gave you a new lease on life. How did that whole thing come about?
WHITE: I have no idea.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come on! You are playing like Betty White out there.
WHITE: That's not what your girlfriend said.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITE: They asked -- gave me the offer to do the snickers commercial. And they said it would be somewhere near the Super Bowl, which was wonderful. We thought that was great. It turned out to be not only on the Super Bowl. It was first commercial of the Super Bowl before people go wandering away.
ROBERTS: Did you look at the script for that and say, wow, I really like this?
WHITE: No. It just said -- they said Snickers and I have been eating Snickers all my life. Snickers and a bunch of young guys on a football field, it didn't sound too shabby.
ROBERTS: That would be something that could be enjoyable. This led to the "Saturday Night Live" gig.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WHITE: I'm 90 years old. I like to stand. I like to bend. And I like to sit.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: This is something had you said no to in the past.
WHITE: Yes. I had said no because it is so New York and I am so California that I thought I would be a fish out of water. I turned it on about three times years ago.
And I was sending a polite thank you very much but no thank you. This time my agent said you have to do it. I almost killed my agent. But I didn't. But I was panicking. But everybody was so supportive and so nice. And it is such a science. They have that show nailed.
ROBERTS: How does that person of your experience get panicky about doing "Saturday Night Live"?
WHITE: I get panicky walking on the Jay Leno set and I have known jay forever. I got a little nervous walking in here, John.
ROBERTS: There's nothing to be nervous about. Believe me.
WHITE: On the other hand, I enjoy it. I enjoy meeting people that I'll be meeting later.
ROBERTS: We are. I get off at 9:00.
WHITE: That's fine.
(LAUGHTER)
ROBERTS: This show, "Hot in Cleveland" --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What are you, a cop?
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Then what's it to you?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: This is something else that came along, and they said, Betty, we would like you to do a pilot. You said, OK, as long as it's a pilot. And then they said how about three shows? Then I turned into ten. Who knows where I goes from here.
WHITE: It got picked up in three weeks. Sometimes you do a pilot in February and it is May before you know whether it is going to go. Well, they got picked up in three weeks. They came back and asked if I would do more. I said, well, that wasn't the original arrangement. And I'm so firm in my opinion.
ROBERTS: You are.
WHITE: The next thing I'm doing all ten.
ROBERTS: I've got to ask you about the "Golden Girls." Estelle Getty in 2008 passed away, Bea Arthur last year, Rue McClennan this year. You are the loner now.
WHITE: They all -- each and every one of them hurt so much. I never knew how old the other girls were because they would never discuss age. And it was so ironic. I was older than anybody. And to be the only one left when you are the oldest doesn't seem fair, does it? ROBERTS: Well, we are certainly glad that you are still here.
WHITE: Thank you.
ROBERTS: You've given us so much pleasure. It has been --
WHITE: It is a joy meeting you.
ROBERTS: It is an honor to meet you. Thank you so much.
WHITE: Thank you so much.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: She is so sweet.
CHETRY: She seems so, she just seems so real. How can you be in Hollywood for that many years and just, you know, just be yourself?
ROBERTS: And at 88 and a half years old, to be going as strong as she's going, too, I think that she'll be doing TV series at the age of 100, I'm sure.
CHETRY: She is great. I mean, and the fact, as she said, a pilot to take off that quickly.
ROBERTS: Yes.
CHETRY: And then for the show to be successful.
ROBERTS: Her name is worth an awful lot these days.
CHETRY: Yes, sure is.
ROBERTS: Can you imagine from one commercial, just totally re- launched her career.
CHETRY: Yes.
ROBERTS: It's just amazing.
CHETRY: It was great. I'm glad you got to talk to her. She's such a sweetheart.
ROBERTS: And I talked to -- I talk to some of the women around CNN before I went in to chat with her. And I actually asked her about this. And they say, so why -- why do you like Betty White? Well, she is -- she's so funny. But what makes her funny? Well, I think it's partly because somebody of her age can be that funny and somebody her age can be that sassy as well.
CHETRY: Yes, well, I mean, I just still remember her from "Golden Girls". She was my favorite, Rose. I mean, she was just great. You know. She just -- you could identify with her character. She wasn't afraid to be a klutz or you know, to be an airhead. I just -- and she's so real. When you got to meet her and she seemed the same way.
ROBERTS: Yes a sort of divine naivete is what she -- she played.
CHETRY: Exactly, exactly.
Well, congrats, Betty. Keep up the good work, you're great.
Meantime, we're going to check in with Jacqui Jeras once again. We have thunderstorms in the Midwest; 100-plus-degree heat indices in the south yet again. Jacqui Jeras is breaking it all down for us.
Forty-six minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Forty-eight minutes after the hour.
Weather alert now as clusters of thunderstorms hit the Midwest. Flood watches and warnings are up now.
Jacqui Jeras in the CNN center with details. Good morning, Jacqui. You have some tough, tough weather for folks there.
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes we really do. It's going to be slow going this morning across the nation's midsection. Oklahoma City which got hit hard yesterday got another round of showers and thunderstorms overnight. And that brought an additional inch or two of rainfall.
You can see that cluster now moving up to the north. And it's been weakening a little bit. So that's some good news. The rainfall totals from this thing, wow, more than 11 inches in Spencer, Oklahoma City. This is not only a record for the day but it was a record all- time rainfall in a 24-hour period.
Here you can see those thunderstorms now pushing up towards Kansas City which has also been seeing its fair share of flooding. Including in the downtown area you can see the stronger thunderstorms just to the west and really heavy along the I-35 corridor. Those watches and warnings are lined up from Wyoming, stretching all the way over towards West Virginia.
So a lot of water covered roads today. Take it easy if you are driving. And expecting some of these thunderstorms to become severe later on today in the Ohio River Valley, otherwise we are dealing with a lot of hot and humid conditions.
Travel delays kind of minor today: Chicago, St. Louis, Detroit, Cincinnati and some southern airports there in Florida, less than 30 minutes hopefully for you all -- John and Kiran.
CHETRY: All right, sounds good. Jacqui thanks.
Still ahead we're going to talk about your diet and how it relates to your vision. Can certain things that you eat improve your vision? Dr. Sanjay Gupta checks in with us coming up next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back, 53 minutes past the hour right now.
Time for your "AM House Call", stories about your health: from blurred vision to reading glasses and trouble seeing at night, a lot of us just come to accept it. When we get older our eyes start to go.
ROBERTS: But what if changing your diet now could make a difference? Let's bring in our own Dr. Sanjay Gupta. A lot of us hear from mom of course, carrots are good for your eyes. Any truth to that?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. You know, well, we have are that from mom for some time and there is some truth to that. And in fact, a lot of people focus on carrots as sort of being the eye food. They are specifically good for your cornea, the very front part of your eye and also your retina, the back part of your eye.
What was interesting about this, though, is looking at ways to prevent cataracts remember, occurring in the first place. About 20 million Americans live with cataracts and they can be quite debilitating. Your vision just becomes cloudy and it's hard to see through the -- through the cornea, that front part of your lens.
What -- what they are saying is that simple dietary changes can make a significant impact at the speed of which you develop cataracts. Just about everyone will develop cataracts if they live long enough. But there are other foods you can add to the list of quote, unquote, "eye foods", so to speak, besides carrots.
Take a look at the list of some of them. And when you think about these foods, they typically have -- you know, they're rich in color: so green foods such as spinach and kale, red foods, tomatoes and peppers and yellow foods, such as squash and corn. These foods all -- many of them contain lutein (ph), it's a specific thing that helps absorb some of the harmful light that's coming into your eyes.
And also helps repair proteins that are constantly in our eyes as well. When these proteins start to break down, that's what's -- that's the cause of the cloudiness here.
Now, what they found in the study is that particularly among women, if they had a diet rich in these types of foods, they could delay the onset of cataracts by about two and a half years. That's a long time of more functional living and better vision.
CHETRY: So if you do develop a cataract, Sanjay, is it easy to correct?
GUPTA: it is pretty easy to correct. I mean, still involves an operation. So they are always risks to that certainly. But this is -- perceived it's commonly done given the numbers of people who have cataracts. We have an animation we can show you here but typically it is done by an ophthalmologist. It takes about 10 to 15 minutes. And that they specifically do -- it's a little bit hard to look but they're making slits in the front of the eye there and they basically vacuum out that cloudy lens, this little vacuum that just vacuums it out in that way.
And then, if you watch, they're basically through that same instrument going to put in a new lens, that's a -- a new durable plastic lens designed to basically last the rest of your life and provide you with clear vision.
But again, you know -- a lot -- so much focus nowadays on trying to prevent some of these problems from happening in the first place. Focus on technology and new medications. Dietary changes here because of the nature of some of the diets, types of proteins, that they have in the foods, they can at least delay the onset of something like that.
CHETRY: Wow. I'm going out to buy kale right now.
GUPTA: There you go. Tastes pretty good, too.
ROBERTS: What if your vision has started to degenerate? Do you have -- do you have to do this preventably throughout all your life or -- you know, my eyes started going when I was 40. I don't know if there is anything I can do about it now.
GUPTA: well, you know, it is interesting, when you are 40, the types of changes that occurring in your eye may be different than cataracts. It just typically occurs in people older even older than you, John.
What happens when you are around 40, is that the shape of your eyeball tends change. You have difficulty actually seeing things that are closer up as a result. That's a different problem. You know, reading glasses can help with that.
But cataracts is a really specific problem. Glaucoma is a really specific problem again that people are really focused on trying to prevent that from happening in the first place.
ROBERTS: all right. Doc, some good tips for us this morning. Thanks so much.
GUPTA: thanks, guys.
CHETRY: All right. Good to see you, Sanjay.
56 minutes past the hour. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Back to our top story this morning. The Gulf Coast may never be the same after the Gulf oil spill disaster. And a lot of people feel that way and big oil may be in for some permanent changes after President Obama's national address tonight. Our Ed Henry is live in Pensacola with a preview for us.
Hey Ed.
ED HENRY, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kiran good morning. You are right. Senior advisers to the president know that there is a lot of frustration, particularly in this region with the fact that they believe BP has not been held accountable. We are going to hear a lot we are told by the President's advisers about holding their feet to the fire. Specifically setting up this new escrow fund with billions of dollars in it in order to make sure they are paying claims. The President will be following up tomorrow with a meeting at the White House with top BP officials.
Also, the President, we are told, by his top adviser, laying out a battle plan, game plan moving forward about what the American people can expect from the government moving forward.
I can tell you there's frustration here. I was talk to the man who runs the beach in Pensacola yesterday. He was telling me that more than a month ago he asked the federal government for four tractors to help sift the sand for when the oil arrives. He only got one of them so far, one out of the four yesterday afternoon just before the President arrived.
In fact, there are signs around Pensacola saying bring in FEMA, Mr. President. The agency that was once reviled, now people are begging for FEMA to get in. They think that would be better than the current situation -- Kiran, John.
CHETRY: All right. Ed Henry for us live in Pensacola this morning. Thanks so much. And again, don't miss the President's Oval Office address happening right there on CNN tonight. Our special coverage begins at 7:00 Eastern; that's followed by a reaction and analysis on "LARRY KING LIVE
And also live from the Gulf Coast with AC360.
ROBERTS: Continue the conversation on today's stories. Go to our blog at cnn.com/amFix.
Thanks so much for joining us this morning. We'll see you back here, bright and early tomorrow.
CHETRY: Meantime the news continues, "CNN NEWSROOM" with Brooke Baldwin starts right now.
