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American Morning
Oil Spill Stopped; Race Debate Brews; The Leak's Stopped, Now What?; Debate Over Racism in the Tea Party Continues; Apple to Announce Policy on New iPhone Problems; Homeless Pets; New York City Triathlon
Aired July 16, 2010 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everybody. It's Friday, July 16th. I'm Jim Acosta, in for John Roberts. Good to see you.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Good to have you with us this morning. We have a lot to talk about. Kiran Chetry, by the way.
Let's get right to it.
Plumes of oil now replaced the Gulf by tears of joy for many. Some are saying it's time to set off the fireworks because for now, at least, the oil spill has stopped.
BP's containment cap is working still. This now 15, 16 hours and counting, and they're doing tests to see how well the ruptured well is holding up under all of that pressure. So, we're going to get a live report from the scene -- still ahead.
ACOSTA: And a 3.6 magnitude earthquake is shaking things up in the nation's capital this morning. That doesn't happen every day down there. It struck just after 5:00 a.m. Eastern, the epicenter, about 20 miles northwest of Washington, D.C. The latest on that developing story -- not a big one but worth noting -- in just a moment.
CHETRY: And the gloves are off. The NAACP and Tea Party locked in a bitter battle over charges of racism. Many in the grassroots organization are insisting they're not racists but not helping the cause. One Tea Party leader coming out with a satirical blog that many say is nothing more than a racist rant. We have both sides of that story as well.
ACOSTA: Nothing short of incendiary there.
And, of course, the amFIX blog is up and running. Join the live conversation right now. Just go to CNN.com/amFIX. We'll be reading some of your comments throughout the morning -- Kiran.
CHETRY: Well, we're not in the clear yet, but there is a real sense of hope this morning that perhaps we are turning the page on the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, and that it may be nearing an end. BP's containment cap, which they closed the valves on yesterday afternoon, is holding. That means that the oil flow has now been stopped for more than 16 hours.
ACOSTA: Right. Do you know how we've been showing that box at the bottom of your screen the last 87, 88 days?
CHETRY: Yes.
ACOSTA: Well, you might not be seeing that quite so much, if the oil is not spilling. This is great news, but the ruptured well may not be plugged for good. We have to keep tabs on it until the weekend, obviously.
Ed Lavandera is live in New Orleans for us this morning. And, Ed, any sense how well the well is holding up at this point and all of that pressure that's building up in inside of it? Obviously, BP is keeping a very close eye on that this point.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Clearly. Visually, from what we can tell, the fact that the test is still going on, that is a good sign. So, the fact that we're not seeing more oil spewing into the Gulf of Mexico, that's good.
We're also expecting a technical briefing from BP officials here in about 30 minutes. So we'll be able to pass along, hopefully, a better snapshot of what's been going on since the integrity test started yesterday afternoon. But seriously, this is -- this is a crucial moment. We're in the midst of a very important test.
And, obviously, from a visual standpoint, the fact that we're no longer seeing this oil spewing into the Gulf of Mexico, it has sent shock waves across the Gulf Coast region and people are really hoping and sensing for the first time that this could be the beginning of the end. That the tone from -- especially from officials along the Gulf Coast -- is that everyone is still cautiously optimistic, but they're hoping that in some sort of way, either the cap works by itself or they're able to collect all of the oil and keep it from flowing into the Gulf of Mexico.
It's a huge breakthrough and people really are anticipating something big here -- Jim and Kiran.
ACOSTA: Right.
CHETRY: All right. Ed Lavandera for us -- fingers crossed.
ACOSTA: Absolutely.
CHETRY: As we said, 16 hours and counting, and we should know more on how these tests are going -- this integrity test -- this afternoon. Thanks, Ed.
ACOSTA: And I'm sure for Ed, it's a nice opportunity to get some good news down there for a change.
CHETRY: I know. He's been down there since the very beginning of this tragedy.
ACOSTA: Yes, doing great stuff.
We're in the 88th day of the disaster in the Gulf. For months, we've been watching in horror as clouds of crude billowed into the sea. And that's what makes this before and after video so heartening. On the left, a tragedy out of control; on the right, a chance to exhale -- and what is on the right is what is happening right now.
As far as anyone can tell, not single drop of oil is coming out of that ruptured well.
CHETRY: There you see the before and after pictures.
And after BP cut the flow of oil into the Gulf, its stock price actually took off. And here's another chart to show you right now. The stock was up about $2.72.
ACOSTA: Wow.
CHETRY: Or 7.6 percent. The stock, of course, is still off about 35 percent from where it was trading before the Deepwater Horizon disaster. And as we know, they still are going to be paying out billions, both in that compensation package --
ACOSTA: They're not out of the woods.
CHETRY: -- and cleaning up and on and on.
ACOSTA: That's right.
The president, we should mention, will make a statement about the Gulf oil shutoff before leaving for his Maine vacation. It will happen during the 9:00 a.m. Eastern hour and you'll see it right here on CNN. That will be live at 9:00.
CHETRY: Well, after a series of frustrating setbacks in the Gulf, President Obama has been careful not to start celebrating too early.
ACOSTA: Here with that, and more, of what the events on the Gulf could mean for the president's coming elections -- our chief political correspondent and host of CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION," Candy Crowley; and at the White House, senior White House correspondent Ed Henry.
And, Candy, going to you first. We were just talking about the fact the president and first family are about to head up to Maine and some folks are already -- some of his critics are already making note of the fact that he's doing that instead of going somewhere else on vacation. I mean, what did you make of that and what do you think of the fact that this thing is off right now?
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, a couple things. About the vacation, I think the argument is that both the president and the first lady went down to the Gulf and said, everyone should come down here and vacation.
ACOSTA: So, they're not going there on vacation.
(CROSSTALK)
CROWLEY: I think that's where the criticism comes from. And I'll tell you, for the president, obviously, to have the leak plugged is better than to not have it plugged, but I think that the spilling of the oil hurt him more than the not spilling of the oil will help him. I think it take as distraction. I'm thinking in the end, people are worried about the economy.
CHETRY: Right. And, you know, I want to bring in Ed on this point, too.
Because as Candy said, people are worried about the economy. So, you know, it was very easy while the president in the White House did obviously not come out unscathed from this to put most of the blame for the oil spill, obviously, on the company that did it, you know, BP, et cetera. However, when it comes to the drilling moratorium, there are a lot of people saying that this is more politics than it is practicality and that people who are already suffering in the Gulf are going to be taking another hit.
What are people saying in the White House whether they'll change their mind on this?
ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, top White House aides say that, eventually, they believe the president will lift that moratorium and let the deepwater drilling begin again. That is his goal. They understand the economic impact in the Gulf, but they're trying to weigh that against the environmental impact. The tragedy that we've seen unfold in recent weeks, they don't want something like that to happen again.
So, once they feel they got the safety issues in check, they will let drilling begin again. But I think this just shows that we woke up to an earthquake literally here in D.C. this morning. It was shaking our homes, about 3.7 magnitude, I guess.
And it's -- I think -- appropriate at the end of this week, because you really did kind of feel the earth move underneath Democrats a little bit here in Washington. They were fighting all week about whether they're going to lose the House or not -- almost the silly little battle about what Robert Gibbs said last Sunday on "Meet the Press."
But it's emblematic of the fact Democrats are very much on edge. They're slipping behind in some respects in campaign fundraising and there's a perception issue right now that they may lose their grip on power in November. So, it's been a rough week for them.
ACOSTA: And, you know, one of the other controversies that's come up this week, wee could obviously talk about the oil stopping and how great that is all morning, but this controversy that's erupted between the NAACP and Tea Party Movement which is just, you know, right for all kinds of gross generalizations on both sides.
CROWLEY: Right.
ACOSTA: Candy, I mean, what do you make of this? Obviously, the Republicans are counting on Tea Party activists to come out in droves this fall. What's going on here?
CROWLEY: Well, listen, it's an election year, number one.
ACOSTA: Yes.
CROWLEY: Number two, the NAACP, you know, a venerable institution that has fought for so long against racism and for the rights of African-Americans, you know, turn on your TV and you do see racists signs.
ACOSTA: You see it.
CROWLEY: But we also know from a lot of reporters attending these Tea Party rallies that it's not the bulk of what's going on there. But what happens is, once this all just starts flying, it's very hard to get it to simmer down. We now have a blog --
CHETRY: I want to just read part of this so people understand what we're referring to here. This is written by Mark Williams, and there's a little question. Is he still the spokesperson for the Tea Party Express? He said earlier this month that he was stepping down to focus on --
ACOSTA: Right. He's still clearly a leader in the Tea Party Movement. That's right.
CHETRY: All right. To folks right there. Remember, what is he stepping down to focus on?
ACOSTA: He was stepping down on -- he's going to run for the Sacramento City council and a ground zero mosque --
CROWLEY: He's a former chairman, I think.
ACOSTA: Yes, that's right.
CROWLEY: The former chairman.
CHETRY: On the ground zero mosque issue as well. But either way, he's been called one of the leaders of the Tea Party and wrote a mock letter that he apparently said was meant to be satirical, acting as if he was Ben Jealous, the president of the NAACP, in his letter to Abraham Lincoln and it reads in part, "Dear Mr. Lincoln, we've take an vote and decided we don't cotton that whole emancipation thing." He goes on and on. "Far too much to ask of us colored people. We demand that it stop," unquote.
This seems like such a hot potato for those in the party. You know, what do Tea Party leaders have to do to denounce this if they -- if they are going to continue saying this is not a racist organization?
CROWLEY: First of all, satire never works in print, if that's indeed what that was. You know, absolutely.
ACOSTA: Satire.
CROWLEY: Second of all, the current chairman of the Tea Party Express has denounced racism, has, you know, did a very direct in the camera, previously like in May, and said, you know if you're racist, don't come here. We're not about that.
But it is so -- there are so many elements of the Tea Party. There is no real "Tea Party." You know, it's not like the Democratic Party, the Republican Party. It's a conglomeration of a lot of groups and it's hard to control.
But I think they do have to come out because what does this do, but maybe turn people away saying, yes, well, the Tea Party, aren't they the sort of racist people? So, it really cuts into a movement, and so there needs to be something out there, I think.
ACOSTA: And I want to know, Ed, over at the White House -- what do they think of the Tea Party Movement? It is a subject you do not hear this White House talk very much about, but a force to be reckoned with.
HENRY: It could be. But the simple reason why when you talk to senior White House aides why they don't really talk about it, you don't see Robert Gibbs pushing back against the Tea Party in this daily briefing, they think it just gives them more attention. It gives them more oxygen. They start pushing back.
I mean, look at what the NAACP did this week, as Candy points out, a venerable rights organization, they felt and that's their right that they had to speak out. They couldn't sit back any longer. But on the other hand, this is only just given the Tea Party a lot more attention. Maybe bad attention, but it gives more oxygen to their troops, if you will.
So, this is why the White House wants to sit back and not get involved in this controversy at all. They're hoping to get the focus back to jobs, like the president did yesterday in Michigan. I just bumped into a senior White House aide on my way to the camera who was saying, yes, it's been a tough week but it got a little better yesterday. He was referring to the fact that it appears that maybe things are getting better with the Gulf spill. Maybe they're starting to turn the corner but they're being very careful not to celebrate just yet because they've seen other times --
ACOSTA: That's right.
HENRY: -- in this crisis where it looked like it was getting better and then all fell apart.
ACOSTA: Under-promised and over-delivered? Is that what Thad Allen like to say?
Ed Henry at the White House -- thanks so much.
And, Candy, coming up this Sunday, I guess very quickly before --
CROWLEY: Steny Hoyer, Democratic leader on the House side, Mitch McConnell, leader of the Republicans, are going to talk about politics and what might get done between now and election time on Capitol Hill.
CHETRY: Sounds good. We'll be watch.
ACOSTA: Thanks, Candy.
CHETRY: Candy, thanks for dropping by as always.
And you can catch Candy on "STATE OF THE UNION" this Sunday morning, 9:00 Eastern, right here on CNN.
ACOSTA: An earthquake -- get this -- rattled Washington, D.C.'s area this morning. Rob Marciano has more on that.
Hey, Rob.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, guys.
Yes, 20 miles, just outside of the D.C. area, a 3.6 magnitude quake, pretty shallow, about three miles in depth. So, because of that, it was felt by a large chunk of that highly populated metropolitan area. We don't expect any sort of damage reports with this sort of magnitude quake. It is certainly unusual, not completely unheard of.
But, you know, the history of these kinds of quakes is a little bit, not very detailed. So, we're trying to dig stuff up. It looks as though we haven't seen a quake of this magnitude near the D.C. area in probably 20 or 30 years.
So, if you grew up in the area, you say, hey, I've never felt one of these before -- that wouldn't be too farfetched. We don't expect any sort of major aftershocks. Even if they occur, we'll let you know.
Plus, heat advisories out for this area and the New York area. We'll talk more weather, how long this heat is going to last later in the program -- guys.
CHETRY: Sounds good. Rob, thanks so much.
Well, still ahead: oil has now stopped gushing into the Gulf. Critical testing begins. And so, what now? We're going to have more with one of our favorite physicists. He's going to break it don for us -- coming up.
Thirteen minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Fifteen minutes past the hour right now. It took BP 87 days to finally stop the oil. So, it is stopped. That's the good news. The bad news, estimates are 218 billion gallons were spilled, but right now, it is not leaking. The hope is that they can continue keeping this well capped.
ACOSTA: That's right. Will the cap hold or too soon to breathe a sigh of relief? Back with us this morning is Michio Kaku. He's a physics professor with City University of New York. He's also the host of "Sc-Fi Science" on the Science Channel.
Michio, thanks for being back with us this morning. And we were talking yesterday morning and talking about the setback. You know, there's the cap that was on. It was leaking the equipment, the attachment cap was leaking, and you're saying none of this is a positive sign. Just wait. We'll see this may work out, and it did.
MICHIO KAKU, HOST OF "SC-FI SCIENCE" ON THE SCIENCE CHANNEL: That's right. Look at the big picture. You had eight failed attempts. Eight-eight days of floundering and flailing about and finally they're getting a grip on this now. We're entering the last chapter, I think, in this tragedy.
ACOSTA: Better late than never.
CHETRY: So, they were able to shut all the three valves. They were able to close it over the well, but now, I guess, some would say the hard work begins. And that is figuring out whether this will hold. What do these pressure readings mean, if you can read the tea leaves here?
KAKU: This weekend, take your Champaign bottles out, if the pressure holds. Think of a fire hydrant, bottle it up very rapidly, you could burst a pipe. It will over pressurize, burst a pipe and then the thing starts all over again. That's the nightmare scenario. So, watch for any sudden drops in pressure indicating a new leak has sprung, and that's why they're monitoring the ground looking for oil leaks coming out. Look out at the seismic activity.
CHETRY: Where they have robotic submersibles and sonar equipment down there as well, right? Amazing.
KAKU: That's right. And that's because of irreversible damage. That's the worst case scenario. Pressure backs up, pipe bursts, and it starts all over again.
ACOSTA: And you mentioned you might be able to bring the Champaign bottles out, but they still have to drill these relief wells and that's a complicated process, and it's also hitting another bull's eye in some respects. How confident should Americans be that this crisis is coming to an end, do you think?
KAKU: In the sense that it's a one-two punch. First, we cap the top, then we choke the bottom. That's how you kill this monster. So far, we have success in capping the top, and in a few weeks, we'll know whether we can choke the bottom. But remember, we never get it on the first try.
ACOSTA: Right. KAKU: We're drilling three miles under the surface of water. We're trying to hit a dinner plate from that distance. You never make it on the first try. It's like winning the lottery.
ACOSTA: Right.
KAKU: You go in, you miss. You fill it up with concrete, you drill again. You miss, you fill it up with concrete. That could go on for weeks.
CHETRY: But you say that the ultimate result of that is that it will actually work?
KAKU: That's right.
CHETRY: It may miss a few times, but it will work.
KAKU: It is the goal (ph) standard. It was almost every single time the relief well choking in at the bottom as well as capping it from the top.
CHETRY: But I have a question about this. Are you saying that the government should have immediately put in and gathered the best physicists, the best minds on this projects, once we understood high- water pressure, I mean, because, I guess, it was what, nearly six weeks ago we were talking about the crystals that it formed because of the underwater depths. How much time do you think we could have saved? How many failed attempts, as you called it eight of them, could have been avoided?
KAKU: Three months ago, we could have done this. But the basic science was not done years ago. Remember that all these things really work at 200 feet. At 200 feet below sea level, all of these things work, capping it, filling it, stuffing it. They all work. But at 5,000 feet, they don't work at all. So, that's why it's a learning curve. After three months, after the science project, with us as the guinea pigs, we are finally learning the physics of working at 5,000 feet.
ACOSTA: And you aren't just talking about the government, you were talking about President Obama. You wrote sort of a critique of his handling of this crisis, and I found it interesting because almost every step of the way, you think he should have taken a different approach, and we were just talking to Henry and Candy Crowley about all of this. This has been just a political nightmare for this White House. So, I mean, what do you think the president should do now in terms of how to handle this crisis moving forward?
KAKU: I think three months ago, he should have called out the navy. He's calling out the national guard and the coast guard already. He should have removed BP from leadership, because BP was low-balling all of these numbers. We now know that the figure of 1,000 barrels per day. They knew it was actually closer to 40,000 to 60,000. They knew that. Remove BP. Then bring in these huge skimmers. These skimmers are coming in right now. Three months after. ACOSTA: That's amazing.
KAKU: These skimmers from Taiwan.
CHETRY: It's made the Gulf Coast crazy to think that they've been calling for this from day one, but one thing that you did mention saying removing BP. A lot of people said that that was not really very wise to do, because they are the ones with the equipment and the know-how to figure all this out. You don't agree with that?
KAKU: I don't agree with that. We have many, many groups around the world that have the same kind of expertise, and BP had a vested interest in low-balling thing. They get fined about $1,000 per barrel dumped in the Gulf. You do the math. We're talking about $16 million per day, unless you low-ball the figures. I personally think they were trying to low-ball the numbers hoping that the thing would go away and no one would know the difference. Now, it's on, of course, national news.
CHETRY: They also had vested interest in making sure it stops, because, I mean, every day that this goes on, it's cost them billions.
KAKU: That's right. That's why I think the basic science was not done several years ago. We could have capped it three months ago. It's been a learning curve, but we now know that the laws of physics really are different at 5,000 feet and not 200 feet. The last big oil well leaked was in Mexico. The mother of all leaks. Much bigger than this. It was capped at 160 feet. We have a lot of experience working at 100 feet, 200 feet, almost no experience at 5,000 feet.
ACOSTA: It's good tips there for the government, for the next time this happens and let's hope it doesn't happen again, but --
KAKU: Keep your fingers crossed. This weekend is a moment of truth.
ACOSTA: Appreciate that sense of optimism there. We could all use it.
CHETRY: How would you cross both of them at the same time? That was pretty -- cross both your fingers on one hand. That's pretty amazing.
KAKU: That's right.
CHETRY: Only a physicist can do that.
ACOSTA: That's right.
CHETRY: All right. Thanks so much.
Overwhelming response on those adorable pets from the Gulf Coast that had to be put up for adoption. People working in the oil industry not able to afford them anymore. We have a wonderful heartening update for you. ACOSTA: And more on the battle between the NAACP and the Tea Party. That's coming up next with Carol Costello in just a few moments.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ACOSTA: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. It is 8:24. That means it's time for an "AM Original." Something you'll see only on AMERICAN MORNING. A race. It is one of the country's most sensitive issues and remains so certainly this week.
CHETRY: Yes. Because as we speak, core supporters of both the NAACP and the Tea Party are in a heated battle over the issue. And our Carol Costello joins us this morning live from Washington with a gut check. You know, we all remember back to President Obama's election, inauguration day, and we thought, wow, we'd come a long way in race relations.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We have come a long way, but no one really thought it would turn into nirvana, right, as far as race relations are concerned. But at the very least, some believed it would turn a page on race relations. Thought maybe there wouldn't be a debate that's playing out right now between the Tea Party movement and the NAACP. Each side calling the other racist and things got even more heated this morning, because one Tea Party leader, a Tea Party member, I should say, Mark Williams, posted a satirical blog that read in part, freedom means having to work for real. Think for ourselves, and take consequences along with the rewards.
That is just far too much to ask of us colored people, and we demand that it stop. The "letter" is from the head of the NAACP to Abraham Lincoln. It's certainly not something that will bring the two sides together. So, a gut check this morning. Why can't we stop this? And is this a sign race relations have actually taken a step back?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO (voice-over): On "LARRY KING LIVE," a discussion turned bad about the NAACP's accusation the Tea Party movement tolerates racist elements.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know what, it wasn't --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's not engaged in declamation (ph) and liable --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Excuse me. I'm talking so shut your mouth.
COSTELLO: It was a meltdown just like an earlier discussion on Wolf Blitzer's show. CNN contributor, Roland Martin, on one side, Tea Party express spokesperson, Mark Williams, on the other.
ROLAND MARTIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: You should come out and say you're not welcome here, and you --
MARK WILLIAMS, TEA PARTY EXPRESS SPOKESPERSON: Racists have their own movement. It's called the NAACP.
MARTIN: Oh, that's nonsense.
COSTELLO: Observers say it is the same racial stalemate America's been stuck in for years. Still, not so long ago, Americans were kind of hopeful. On the day before President Obama's inauguration, a "Washington Post" poll showed nearly six in ten Americans said his presidency would advance cross-racial ties. But by January 2010, only four in ten believed that.
WILLIAM JELANI COBB, AUTHOR, "THE SUBSTANCE OF HOPE": Anytime that we've seen racial progress in the United States, we've also seen racial backlash.
COSTELLO: William Jelani Cobb who wrote "The Substance of Hope: Barack Obama and the Paradox of Progress" says even President Obama doesn't believe his election will bring about racial harmony. He said so himself.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I have never been so naive as to believe that we can get beyond our racial divisions in a single election cycle or with a single candidate, particularly a candidacy as imperfect as my own.
COSTELLO: The president said that as a major speech about race in America in March of 2008. The only other time he broached the race issue in a substantive way was in July of 2009 during the now infamous and some say disastrous beer summit. Observers say don't expect the president to play peacemaker this time around.
DOUGLAS BRINKLEY, PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: The Tea Party is the number one enemy of the Obama administration, and the NAACP is very strong behind President Obama, but you will not see our president trying to somehow use this moment that's going on right now in a healing way. He's going to ignore it and stay above the fray.
COSTELLO: It brings us back to our question. Have we taken a few steps back when it comes to race relations? Half (ph) says we have. And as for whether the election of America's first black president will have a lasting positive influence on race relations?
COBB: We won't really know what the real significance of this is for many years to come.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO (on-camera): As for Mark Williams' satirical blog, presidential historian, Douglas Brinkley, would say that was a bad move, because it just feeds into this debate and makes it even more poisonous, let's say. He says that maybe Mark Williams should have stepped back and said, you know, I think the NAACP might be wrong on this issue, but we don't tolerate racists within the Tea Party movement, but, of course that didn't happen, at least a far as Mark Williams is concerned.
ACOSTA: And carol, last hour you asked viewers to comment on our blog. What are people saying this morning about this?
COSTELLO: They're saying a lot. Some of the comments were very heated.
ACOSTA: I bet.
COSTELLO: And I'm. just going to read you a couple. This is from Rachelle (ph), she says I was brought up to respect the president of the United States no matter what political party he belonged to. In our home, we honored the man elected to lead our nation. We respected the office the way the Tea Party has reviled and defiant (ph) our president is a horrible example to our children.
But this from Kim Mapper (ph), she says the NAACP is replete with racists and the NAACP threw the first stone and it was a big one. The final outcome of this hullabaloo is in doubt, but it is not a wise move on either side to be screaming shut up on CNN or shut your mouth, as it shows the weakness of a strong position each organization might have.
So, keep the comments coming. CNN.com/AMFix. Thoughtful comments. One man wrote in, I was really interested in this comment. He said you know, it's not really about race. It's about class. And he's tired of us talking about race when, really, the biggest issue in the country right now is class. And the way, you know, people --
ACOSTA: I thought you're going to say people showing good class.
COSTELLO: Well, that, too. That, too.
ACOSTA: Because I'm not sure that letter shows a whole lot of class.
COSTELLO: But he's talking about -- where you are economically.
CHETRY: I see.
COSTELLO: That has a lot to do with the politics of the day and how it affects people in the real world.
CHETRY: Very true as well. Carol Costello for us. Thanks.
COSTELLO: Sure.
CHETRY: And it is 30 minutes past the hour, time for our top stories.
For the first time in nearly three months the oil stopped spilling in the Gulf of Mexico from BP's ruptured well. A live look at the oil giant's cap. There you see the containment cap is holding. They're now conducting integrity tests on the well.
We should know by the weekend whether it can handle all pressure and whether or not there is a leak under the ground, under the surface as well. ACOSTA: Even if the containment cap holds, and that's a big if, there's a lot of work to be done. That's according to BP's chief operating officer Doug Suttles. He spoke exclusively to CNN's Wolf Blitzer. Suttles cautions this is not the time to start celebrating.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DOUG SUTTLES, COO, BP: We don't have any leaks. We don't have any oil coming out that we know of, and it's the beginning. We've got another -- hopefully we'll continue it for the next 48 hours, which puts us well into Saturday afternoon.
But, of course, it is good to see that there's not any new oil coming into the Gulf, but, you know, Wolf, I've got stress and being out here on the Gulf coast today, we're far from the finish line here. We've got a lot of work left to do and will be here for a long time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: So far there's been hardly a word from President Obama on progress being made in the Gulf. Yesterday he said he wanted to wait, see how things go today. The first family is headed to Maine today for a vacation in Bar Harbor. Our Ed Henry managed to get a brief, cautiously optimistic statement from the president yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Sir, are you aware the oil is stopped flowing in the Gulf?
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I think it is a positive sign. We're still in the testing phase. I'll have more to say about it tomorrow.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: So the president is now scheduled to make a statement this morning about the spill before he heads for vacation. It's happening in about 30 minutes and we'll carry it live for you right here on CNN.
ACOSTA: The claims of racism are flying back and forth between the NAACP and the Tea Party. The civil rights group accuses the grassroots movement of putting up with racists in their ranks, but Mark Williams, a Tea Party leader, suggests it's the NAACP that is racist.
He is sparking new controversy by writing a satirical blog in the form of a letter from the head of the NAACP to "Abe Lincoln." It reads in part, quote, "Freedom means having to work for real, think for ourselves, and take consequences along with the rewards?" His words here. "That is just too much to ask of us," as he calls it, "colored people, and we demand that it stop."
And joining us now to talk about this is Hilary Shelton, the director of the NAACP in Washington, and Lloyd Marcus, a spokesperson for the Tea Party Express and the president of the National Association for the Advancement of Conservative People of all Aolors, as he likes to put it.
And Hilary, let's start with you. I guess first of all, we wanted to bring you on -- good morning to you, sir. We wanted to talk to you about this satirical letter, I guess, is what Mark Williams would describe it as. How would you describe it?
HILARY SHELTON, WASHINGTON BUREAU DIRECTOR, NAACP: Well, it's a satire and parody that ends up being offensive in the final analysis. And in this he refers to the president of the NAACP as an "uncle Tom" at the end saying that the nephew of Tom, those kinds of thing, yet another distraction from the real issues on the table.
The real issues on the table are whether or not racist elements are inside the Tea Party. Our experience, photographs, speeches, and signs, and incidents tell us that there very well are. And all we are asking in that resolution, and another resolution passed by the NAACP at this convention, is they look from with and repudiate those elements.
It does not say they are racists overall. You don't ask somebody whose racist overall to repute itself of itself. There are elements there that are and should be addressed.
If we had that kind of problem, we would do exactly the same thing. The issues are whether we can move forward as a nation, address the real issues as the NAACP did and other resolutions passed on the national convention to address the unemployment rate, the 17 percent unemployment among African-Americans, eight percent among white Americans.
ACOSTA: I want to bring in Lloyd Marcus on this because we've got him on the phone to talk about this, and he's with the Tea Party express. Lloyd, let me read a portion of this letter in case you haven't seen it. It's up on Mark Williams' Web site, marktalk.com/blog.
It says, "Dear Mr. Lincoln, we, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People have taken vote and decided that we don't cotton that whole emancipation thing. Freedom means having to work for real, think for ourselves and take consequences along with the rewards. That is just far too much to ask of us colored people," as he puts it, "and we demand that it stop." Lloyd, is that offensive to you?
LLOYD MARCUS, SPOKESMAN, TEA PARTY EXPRESS: No. Look, guys, I know Mark Williams personally. He is not a racist, and he's just being satirical to make a point. He is just being satirical to make a point.
But this whole racist accusation really offends me, because I have attended well over 200 Tea Parties across the United States. These people are not racists. For the gazillionth time, they are not racists. They do not oppose Barack Obama's skin color. They oppose his policies. And as far as talking about racism and slander, Benjamin Jealous, he slandered millions of people by telling the lie that he saw signs that read "Lynch Barack Obama," "Lynch Eric Holder." He is a liar. Those sign do not exist. Your guys know and I know, if those signs --
SHELTON: That's not true. If you go to the NAACP's Web site --
(CROSSTALK)
ACOSTA: Hold on, Lloyd. Let's let Hillary respond to that.
SHELTON: It's almost like saying don't believe your lying eyes. If you go to the NAACP Web site at NAACP.org and you will see some samples of those signs.
(CROSSTALK)
ACOSTA: Hold on, Lloyd. Let's let Hilary talk and then we'll go back to you.
SHELTON: One of the sign on the Web site actually describes the president of the United States as an "n" word. And that kind of inflammatory language has no place in civilized --
ACOSTA: Lloyd, let me ask you this. I've been to several Tea Party rallies myself.
MARCUS: -- about killing crackers --
(CROSSTALK)
ACOSTA: Lloyd, let me ask you this question, but I've been to several Tea Party rallies, and I can say I've seen with my own eyes offensive signs, things that were said that are offensive. And I know you've been at a lot of these stops and I want to ask you, Lloyd, are you saying you've never seen this before at a Tea Party rally?
MARCUS: No, never.
ACOSTA: You're saying you've never seen it? Hold on, Hillary. Saying you're never seen it.
MARCUS: Never. Never. I am telling you, I have attended well over 200 tea parties --
ACOSTA: I know you have.
MARCUS: -- across the United States, and these folks are talking about love. They talk about love for their country, and they simply do not want or country transformed into a socialist -- and these are families and grandmas and old folks.
And so many people have -- you want to talk about signs, I have seen a gazillion signs that say Lloyd Marcus for president. I was in Texas, a cowboy walked up to me at a Tea Party --
ACOSTA: Lloyd, I don't think that's going to happen. I hate to break your bubble there. Let me bring Hilary back in. Hilary --
MARCUS: -- something that redneck racist -- this whole.
ACOSTA: I see what you're saying, Lloyd. There are folks -- right.
MARCUS: It's seriously --
ACOSTA: Let me bring in, Lloyd -- let me bring in, Lloyd, I'd like to ask him a question here. Do you think, perhaps, it wasn't constructive for the NAACP to come out with as strong a statement as they did, and -- there are folks -- hold on, Lloyd -- who believe that their entire movement was maligned, everybody in the movement was maligned by what the NAACP.
MARCUS: You guys, yes, that's what he did.
ACOSTA: And Hilary, I'd like you to answer that, and Lloyd hang on and let Hilary respond to that.
(CROSSTALK)
SHELTON: The resolution actually says we call upon the leadership of the Tea Party to repudiate the racist elements within.
ACOSTA: I want to wrap it up here Hilary. Can you answer this question -- was it fair to paint a broad brush over the entire Tea Party movement in that fashion? Was it fair, do you think, to do that?
SHELTON: The resolution was very specific to those racist elements, and it was important to raise those issues to shine a bright light on it and call upon Tea Party officials to repudiate that language.
I assume listening to the person at the other end of this television camera that he does not like the idea of this movement being associated with racism. If that's the case, repudiate those racists, those racist messages and those racist activities.
ACOSTA: Hilary, we appreciate your time. Hilary Shelton, director of the Washington office of the NAACP, and Lloyd Marcus, spokesperson for the Tea Party express. We appreciate both of you coming on this morning and debating this topic for us this morning. Thanks for your time. Appreciate it.
SHELTON: Thanks for having us. Thank you.
ACOSTA: Kiran? I don't know if we settled that matter there.
CHETRY: Highly doubt it, but I'm sure the conversation will continue for sure.
Meanwhile, there is another countdown going today. We're hearing the president speak in just about 20 minutes on the oil spill, the news this has been capped. That is good news. But also today, Apple's holding a press conference. We don't know if it's going to be Steve Jobs or who will do the talking, but they're talking about the iPhone for the so-called death grip error there with the wraparound antenna. Are they going to issue a full recall? Are they going to give free fixes? We'll talk more about what people think will happen today.
It's 41 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ACOSTA: Welcome back. Watching your money this morning, there's another crack in the wall of secrecy surrounding Apple. "Bloomberg News" is reporting one of the company's top engineering warned Steve Jobs the antenna could be a problem. That might be good information to know about.
CHETRY: Now after weeks of bad press, Apple initially saying it might have been a software glitch, telling people don't hold the phone that way. Telling people just buy a cover for it. Apple is breaking its silence as a news conference later this morning.
Some are saying maybe a full recall, others saying probably not likely. But what should apple tell its customers? Earlier we talked with a crisis management expert Eric Dezenhall.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ERIC DEZENHALL, CEO AND CO-FOUNDER, DEZENHALL RESOURCES: Whether it's a software solution or a hardware solution or a recall -- a recall for a company like Apple, I mean, they're a very wealthy company. They can afford something like think. But there's no reason to do a recall if there is a solution other than something radical.
And the fact is I haven't had a problem, and a lot of people haven't had a problem, but those who do are going to need a tangible solution, not just a PR outreach.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: And he also has an iPhone and says he's not giving his back. There you go.
ACOSTA: He wasn't having a problem.
CHETRY: He said that. You know? Many reported they've had it. Some have said it's fine, and there's not a run to the stores to return them. There you go.
But according to tech blog CNet, a full recall of the iPhone 4 would cost Apple $1.5 billion. It sounds like a lot but they've also said it's about three percent of their cash in hand so --
ACOSTA: Yes.
CHETRY: -- they can afford it. Whether they're going to do it or not is a different story.
ACOSTA: That is -- that's going to be the one to watch.
And another thing you want to keep your eyes on, this weekend, our own Dr. Sanjay Gupta and his team of, I guess what would you call them? These are folks --
CHETRY: Well, they are AMERICAN MORNING viewers who are taking a plunge with him in his triathlon.
ACOSTA: Taking the plunge and when we mean plunge -- when we're saying plunge, we mean it, as in the Hudson River.
That's coming up in just a few moments. It's 45 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ACOSTA: Hanging loose.
CHETRY: It's a Friday. Yes, there you go.
ACOSTA: Absolutely.
CHETRY: Well, 48 minutes past the hour right now. And we just got the new news about when the President is going to be making his statement. He's pushed back 30 minutes; he's now scheduled to make a statement at 9:30 Eastern time this morning. So just about what --
ACOSTA: Maybe they just want to see it hold --
CHETRY: -- 40 minutes?
ACOSTA: -- for another 30 minutes.
CHETRY: What the --
ACOSTA: Just to be sure.
CHETRY: -- the shut off --
ACOSTA: -- the cap yes.
CHETRY: -- yes exactly. And so, of course we will bring it to you live. It was set for 9:00 a.m. so were set for about 10 minutes from now and now it's about 40 minutes from now.
Again, the President speaking about the latest progress --
ACOSTA: Yes.
CHETRY: -- in the oil spill and he'll be doing that from the White House in just about 40 minutes.
Well, now it's time for your "A.M. House Call" and we are very excited about this one. It's a personal one for us because it's our own Sanjay Gupta, chief medical correspondent taking the plunge into the Hudson River, the very start of the New York City triathlon.
ACOSTA: And when we say taking the plunge, we mean it. He'll be joined by six AMERICAN MORNING viewers and tri-athletes who've been training with him for months. Sanjay is live from the starting line now and ready to answer your questions about the race.
And the first question is so fitting. Linda is racing the tri this weekend, too, Sanjay and she says -- we're going to throw it up there. "This is my first triathlon and I'm extremely terrified of the swimming part as I just learned to swim in November".
CHETRY: Wow.
ACOSTA: Did we mention the fact this is in the Hudson River?
CHETRY: Don't scare her more.
ACOSTA: Any advice, Sanjay?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's funny. Because Linda wrote this e-mail; I bet it can come from any new triathlon in which I am as well. I've never done a triathlon before. And I'm joined by our trainer Laura Cozik (ph) who's been helping us along.
I'm sure you get that question all the time but let me just say, swimming was something that I hadn't done a lot of either. I took lessons as a kid. But I think it's really important if you're going to do something like this, to take a few lessons again as an adult. You know to really go over form as well and you taught me --
LAURA COZIK, PERSONAL TRAINER: Absolutely.
GUPTA: -- somebody who is really nervous about swimming, though, maybe not even going to do a triathlon because of it, what do you tell them?
COZIK: Well, definitely practice is the way to go. And doing open water swims before you come to the New York City triathlon. You want to practice the open water swim as much as can you because it's completely a different from the pool. But what's good about the New York City tri is you have a current. So that facilitates one, citing (ph), it's very easy, you don't have to cite, you don't go off course very easily. It's a very fast swim.
GUPTA: Right.
COZIK: So whatever your time is --
GUPTA: Right down there. And you wear a wet suit, which is going to be good. I guess it gives you a little buoyancy as well.
COZIK: Buoyancy and safe.
GUPTA: So I think you know, it did help alleviate some of my concerns. So Linda -- I hope it does for you as well. COZIK: Yes.
ACOSTA: Cool. All right. And Kiran you're next question?
CHETRY: Well, this is coming from Twitter, Sanjay, "I'm wondering the same thing, are you worried about the heat on Sunday? And how it will affect the athletes; it's supposed to be a high of 94.
Now you guys are going to get out there obviously before the high temperatures of the day, but running a triathlon and taking part in the triathlon in July, that's a tall order.
GUPTA: It's like a science experiment almost. I have to tell you, because I made mistakes along the last six months, with not hydrating enough. Not eating enough food during the actual time that I was training as well.
You really, really have to pay attention to that and people forget. I mean is there some equation that you keep in your mind as far as how much you should be drinking or eating and all of that?
COZIK: Each person is different. I usually drink one water bottle on my bike. That's the easiest time to take liquid in and you can't obviously take that on the swim so on the bike you need to start taking it in right away; one water bottle for about -- per hour. Some people need more. So it's more testing and knowing what's right for you.
GUPTA: Yes, I heard as well, that you never want to wait until you get thirsty. You want to -- you want to be drinking sort of all along. And there's a lot of water stations obviously during the run, stop at those water stations to drink. Sunscreens as well is something that's very important.
COZIK: Sunscreen is important, yes absolutely and you can pour a little water on your head when you're at an aid station on the run. It actually cools you down and helps to keep the temperature down of your body.
GUPTA: They'll mix nicely with all of that sweat that certainly will accumulate --
COZIK: Yes well, you won't mind that.
GUPTA: Right, right but it's a nerve racking experience I think for a lot of people, but the hydration for the heat, is so -- so critical.
COZIK: It's very important; and the electrolytes as well. You need to get those because you'll be sweating out a lot.
GUPTA: Yes, yes, Are you nervous at all?
COZIK: Actually no. I'm watching you this time. So --
GUPTA: She's nervous for me. COZIK: I'm fully confident.
CHETRY: You know Sanjay, the one thing is, too, when you first start the swim, everyone's running. You know they do it in little group, but you're running into the water and you're getting kicked around right and left and you sort have to power through that without letting it -- you know letting it get the best of you.
GUPTA: Yes. That's a really -- we were just talking about that. And you're absolutely right, Kiran. People are just going to be hitting you and -- you're going to get elbows and kicks. And you told me to actually drag the person down in front of you and --
COZIK: Don't say that. If it helps you get ahead, you know -- it is what it is. No. Swimming in tri is a contact sport. It's -- you normally don't get hit hard. But there will be contact. You can practice that, otherwise if it happens to you just keep going.
GUPTA: Right.
COZIK: Just keep going.
GUPTA: Just expect it a little bit.
COZIK: Just expect it yes.
GUPTA: And so you could either jump in off this barge over here or you can -- there's a rope that's going to be set up over there. You can hang on to the rope and let go as soon as they hit the gun. And we are on a moving barge. That's why the cameras are moving around here so much.
But this is where we start, a mile down that way.
ACOSTA: And can I throw one final tip when it's all said and done when you get out of the Hudson, a good shower.
CHETRY: They've cleaned it up over the years, come on.
All right well, we will be --
GUPTA: Well, I will say, we did see a dead fish go through here. That was pointed out to me. So we'll --
COZIK: Yes it came from way up river.
ACOSTA: There you go.
COZIK: It's very clean here.
ACOSTA: Always optimistic.
GUPTA: All right guys.
(CROSSTALK)
CHETRY: All right, Sanjay take care --
(INAUDIBLE)
ACOSTA: A very competitive fish in the Hudson River.
CHETRY: There you go.
Well, don't push the (INAUDIBLE).
They need homes and there's been an overwhelming response on these adorable animals that had to get sent to a shelter. Their owners couldn't afford them.
ACOSTA: Oh my gosh, look at that face.
CHETRY: Everybody wants that little guy. Look at that little guy.
Anyway, the money --
ACOSTA: He's going for like $10,000 right now.
CHETRY: Really. We're going to have a heart-warming update for you still ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ACOSTA: Dogs are cool.
CHETRY: Totally cool.
ACOSTA: Really cool.
CHETRY: Work for dogs.
ACOSTA: That's right.
(CROSS TALKING)
ACOSTA: Well, you're going to want to hear this. It's incredible. Animal shelters across the Gulf, they've been overwhelmed lately; hundreds of pets now being abandoned by owners who can no longer afford to care for them. It's collateral damage caused by the BP oil spill.
But there's starting to become a happy ending in all this.
CHETRY: Yes. We first reported the problem; Randi Kaye was out there at the shelter, talking to people about what they were going to do to try to help those struggling and people who had make the heart- wrenching decision to give up their pet.
Randi Kaye now has an update. Because of viewers like you stepping up, you're our heroes of the week. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: After our story ran, the folks here tell me that they got hundreds -- hundreds -- of calls and e- mails from all over the country, in fact, from as far away as Guam and Hawaii, looking to adopt some of the animals that we featured in our story, which is really great news.
Including this guy right here, actually, this little girl, this is a Panda, that little terrier that I was holding during my story. She's a little shy, but she got the most calls, from New York, Colorado, Wisconsin, Texas, all over the place. But I do have to tell you that she has not been officially adopted yet.
So Panda, say hello. There you go. Say hello. She is still officially available for adoption.
But some dogs here did get to go home. They got new families today.
You may recall the poodle who we showed you in our story. That poodle is Silk. And if you take a look there, you can see that's Silk with her new owners. Silk is 2 years old, and Silk got to go home with her today.
And I just want you to listen to how they sounded, how happy they sounded as they left the building today.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (singing): Baby boy, baby boy, that's my baby boy. Baby boy, baby boy. Right, Pepper? We're going to see Daddy in the truck -- daddy in the truck, waiting on us.
KAYE: That's right. Daddy was waiting for Silk, who is now renamed Pepper, in the truck.
But that poodle wasn't the only lucky one. There was also a retriever mix named Mocha who was featured in our story who also got to go home today with a family.
And also a beagle that we want to show you named Diamond. Diamond has been here. And it turns out that Diamond's new owner, who just came to adopt her today, the family -- the mom, the wife in this family had seen Diamond, she had seen our story while she was on the treadmill at the gym. And she said, "We have to have that dog."
She called her husband and said, "We need to go get Diamond." And so they met today. They met the other beagle that the family already owns. And the whole thing was a hit.
And I spoke with her about that adoption right after.
COLLEEN NUSLOCH, ADOPTED DOG AT SHELTER: Miss Diamond caught my eye, sitting in the kennel all by herself. And we already have a beagle, so we've thought he could use a companion. He's about ten. We had been thinking about it, and she looked like the perfect fit.
KAYE: What do you think about all of these owners having to turn in their pets? NUSLOCH: It breaks my heart. It breaks my heart. You know, and that was a big motivation. It just seemed like -- I don't think we planned on doing it this soon but, you know, it's -- there's one little thing we can do to help someone out, we have a good reason to come.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: Well, it is wonderful.
ACOSTA: Awesome.
CHETRY: I'm so glad those dogs are getting love. It is still heartbreaking for the people that obviously love these dogs but had to give them up because of financial reasons. And that's another reason why this shelter is saying that in addition to the adoption, if you can donate so that they can actually afford the programs they want to do. Free neutering and spaying, as well as free food distribution for people who don't know if they can make ends meet and continue to keep their little furry friends.
ACOSTA: That's right.
That's it for now. And stick around. We'll have more on that, of course, throughout the day I'm sure as we remind folks about this great cause.
"CNN NEWSROOM" with Fredricka Whitfield starts right now.
