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American Morning
The 'Final Life Cycle'; Mullen Appalled By WikiLeaks; Army Impersonators Scam Women; Deadly Montana Twister; Getting Paid to Smoke Pot; Building Student Scholars
Aired July 28, 2010 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning on this Wednesday, the 28th of July. Thanks for being with us in the Most News in the Morning. I'm John Roberts.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Kiran Chetry. Glad you're with us. We have a lot to talk about this morning so let's get right to it.
Where is the oil? Cleanup crews in the gulf reporting there's not enough crude left on the surface to skim. We're 100 days into this disaster today and one top Coast Guard official says the spill is now entering its final life cycle.
In a moment, incoming BP CEO Bob Dudley on the challenges ahead.
ROBERTS: The search for love is costing some women more than just heartbreak. It's costing them money. Scammers are now pretending to be U.S. servicemen deployed overseas and they are promising marriage just to cheat women out of thousands of dollars. It's a CNN special investigation.
CHETRY: And countdown to a crackdown. Arizona officials may find out today whether a federal judge will block their controversial new immigration law. Police are getting ready to start enforcing it tomorrow.
Today, we are taking a look at a young man caught in the middle of a debate. A whiz kid who outsmarted MIT students now stuck on the other side of the border.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Somebody to trust, you know. He would always step up and try to take charge when nobody else would.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's accepted of by everybody that we had on documented students. But no one made an issue of it. It was kind of just like second nature.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Well, it's an emotional part of a story, an A.M. original, "Oscar Story." We're going to hear from John Zarrella.
ROBERTS: And, of course, the amFIX blog is up and running. Join the live conversation going on right now. Just go to CNN.com/amFIX.
CHETRY: Well, it's hard to believe but it's been 100 days since the oil spill began. And we may have finally turned a corner in the struggle to save the Gulf of Mexico. With BP's ruptured well now capped and holding tight for 12 days, the oil -- at least on the ocean's surface -- appears to be vanishing. Cleanup crews are saying they can't find much to skim.
ROBERTS: A top Coast Guard official says that the spill has reached its final life cycle.
Earlier on AMERICAN MORNING, BP's new incoming CEO told me the "static kill" operation is on for early next week and he is hopeful that we have seen the last drop of spilled oil.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOB DUDLEY, BP INCOMING CEO (via telephone): By Monday, we are likely to begin something called the "static kill," which is hooking up those manifolds and pumping heavy mud and cement down into the well. The objective is to stop the flow and then we can come back in after that with the relief well.
And what I say, we are now 13 days with the well cap. We came back after the storm, the integrity of the well was good. I think, John, no guarantees, but I believe there will be no more oil flowing into the Gulf as of the 15th of July.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: It could take months, even years, to determine the extent of the damage that's already been done to the Gulf Coast. All that spilled oil has to be somewhere.
CHETRY: Yes. But where?
David Mattingly is live in New Orleans this morning.
It's interesting to hear them talk about not being able to even collect more than a barrel with all of those skimming boats out there. You know, what does it -- what does it really mean? How do you put it together in terms of where we are now with the Gulf Coast?
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, let's put this in perspective. The single biggest moment in fighting this spill was getting that cap on about two weeks ago. That cap holding and stopping the flow of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. That finally enabled the skimmers, the big fleet of skimmers they have on the top, to start making real progress on the thick oil that was on the surface. They continue to go after that very aggressively. They had a good stretch of weather. They were very productive.
And think about this: before that well was capped, the days before, they were skimming roughly 25,000 barrels of oil a day. And now, two days ago, we're finding out that all those skimmers, the same number that's out there, about 800 of them, they were only able to skim one barrel of thick oil.
Now, what we're looking at coming up in the next couple of days is that "static kill." That's where they're going to be pumping mud into that well. It's going to begin sometime maybe Sunday or Monday.
And that's going to be another big turning point for us because that's essentially killing the flow that they managed to catch with that cap. So that well will essentially be put to sleep. It will be rendered harmless and then they'll be able to go in with the relief well and hopefully quickly seal it up.
So, that's where we stand right now. In the next 100 days forward, the -- we're going to be looking at what's in the water.
NOAA, right now, is telling us that they are close to finding out a solid number of how much oil is actually in the water. You know, we've been able to see what's on top of it. But it's been a mystery now and a huge worry about what's in the water. They are closing in on a number for that.
Also, we're closing in on possible numbers and locations of lawsuits against BP. We're talking about the 100 days of the oil -- the hundreds of days from now on are going to be about compensation and legal funds.
ROBERTS: You know, as you mentioned, there hasn't been oil leaking into the Gulf now for a couple of weeks since they got the cap on, at least from the BP well. But there is some oil leaking off of Louisiana's coast this morning. What's going on, David?
MATTINGLY: Well, yes, that was sort of a footnote to this spilled saga that's been going on out here. This was a -- this was a well that was capped and it was hit by a barge. It's in shallow water in a bay off of Louisiana. And it was spewing up natural gas, a shower of -- a spray of natural gas, oil and mud.
A capping team is on site. Naturally, they had a lot of resources in the water to respond to this because of the work they've been doing out there. So, they have the booms up and they're expecting to take care of that relatively quickly.
This is not going to be anything like they've been seeing for the last 100 days -- but, again, a footnote to the continuing problems of oil drilling off the coast of Louisiana.
ROBERTS: Yes, and the lingering and inherent risks.
David Mattingly for us this morning in New Orleans -- David, thanks.
CHETRY: Well, with the surface oil vanishing and more Gulf waters is being reopened for fishing, is the suffering close to ending for the Gulf Coast seafood industry?
Well, at 8:40 Eastern, we're going to ask Dean Blanchard. He's the president of Dean Blanchard Seafood in New Orleans. We had a chance to talk with him when this first happened, I believe it was about day 37. And he was just beside himself. The few weeks -- that precious few weeks where they collect most of the shrimp for the season, just a total loss.
So, we're going to check back in with him and see if things have gotten any better for the shrimping industry.
ROBERTS: In the meantime, we got some breaking news to tell you about this morning. Dangerous wildfires are on the move in southern California. The biggest has swallowed more than 6,000 acres in the Sequoia National Forest. Another wildfire has destroyed more than three dozen homes and forced 2,300 people to evacuate.
Right now, winds are proving to be a huge challenge for firefighters. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared a state of emergency for the area.
CHETRY: Also, two female cadets are being treated after a lightning strike at Fort Knox in Kentucky. One of the cadets actually took a direct hit yesterday afternoon. She's in critical condition this morning. Officials say the other cadet was standing nearby and also suffered serious injuries.
ROBERTS: Wow.
Well, this is what it's like to be surrounded by about 300 hungry alligators. Earlier this month, fisherman Ray Cason headed out in the boat in southeast Georgia for a fresh catch. But, clearly, the gators got there first. So, Cason grabbed his camera and caught the feeding frenzy.
A state wildlife biologist says this type of cooperative feeding happens only once every three, four years. But, wow, they were gathered together for -- I guess that's dining family style.
CHETRY: Yes. They were eating the mud fish, they say. That's what they were enjoying there. But how creepy? Those two eye just sticking up all over the water. Wow.
ROBERTS: You don't want to fall in.
CHETRY: No. Absolutely not. Hopefully that boat was sturdy, Jacqui.
We're checking in with Jacqui Jeras right now.
You know, I don't know what freaks me out more, seeing the sharks, you know, when they have that huge --
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Oh, yes.
CHETRY: -- sharks and you can see them in the waters off the Gulf of Mexico. But that was pretty creepy, too.
JERAS: Yes, yes. For me, nothing is scarier than a gator -- let alone 300 of them. I'm telling you. Awful.
You know, the conditions kind of awful, by the way, in parts of Georgia and Florida as well, in gator country, so to speak. The hazy, hot, humid conditions. It's been a record high yesterday in Orlando, 98 degrees.
It's tough to get in the triple digits in the southeast because there's so much humidity and that's going to help trigger some thunderstorms later this afternoon. More severe weather is going to be expected today. To the north of there, across the Ohio Valley, into the Great Lakes, damaging winds will be the primary threat, in excess of 60 miles per hour or so.
Well, things look great in the northeast today. It is going to be windy and that could cause some travel delays.
And out west, we're going to continue to track those fires, very hot conditions here. And we could see an increased fire danger in the Intermountain West, towards Idaho into Oregon. And that's going to be because of dry thunderstorms and that lightning could trigger more fires here.
Temperature-wise, it's, you know, lot of 90s on that map once again for today. Not as many places experiencing the extreme heat in terms of getting the advisories today. But still, awfully uncomfortable for you in St. Louis, 94. Look at that -- 95 today again in Washington, D.C.
I still kind of have goose bumps. Those gators, I'll tell you.
CHETRY: I know. Oh, those little -- the two eyeballs sticking up all over the water. Wow.
JERAS: I don't know how he stays in that boat.
ROBERTS: Well --
(CROSSTALK)
ROBERTS: He certainly wouldn't want to get out of it, would he?
(LAUGHTER)
ROBERTS: Thanks, Jacqui.
CHETRY: Well, the outrage continues over the massive leak of classified documents about the Afghan war to WikiLeaks.org. One of the big issues, though, is Pakistan's intelligence service, and whether or not they're playing a risky double game with the United States and the Taliban. We're going to have much more on that when we talk with a former CIA analyst and State Department adviser -- coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Updating you this morning on a developing story out of Pakistan. The country's information minister is now saying there are no survivors from the passenger flight that crashed just north of the capital of Islamabad. Earlier reports said that people were found alive.
One hundred and fifty-two people were onboard. Police say more than 100 bodies have been recovered so far. A witness says it was raining at the time and the plane burst into fiery pieces when it hit the ground. Crew at the scene found the plane's so-called "black box" data recorder.
CHETRY: Well, reaction is coming now from top military brass to the leak of classified documents from the war in Afghanistan. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, says he's, quote, "appalled" by the breach of security and that it put American lives in jeopardy.
Joining us now from Washington, former CIA analyst Lisa Curtis. She was also a former State Department adviser for South Asian affairs.
Welcome to the program, and thanks for being with us this morning, Lisa.
LISA CURTIS, FORMER CIA ANALYST: Well, thank you for having me.
CHETRY: So, Admiral Mullen calling it appalling and saying that it could, indeed, mean that American lives are at risk. How damaging do you think that it is to our effort in Afghanistan?
CURTIS: Well, I think we have to, you know, accept the fact that these are low-level intelligence reports. They are from sources of varying reliability, with varying levels of access to the information. They're the kind reports that analyst would use to contribute to their overall understanding of the situation on the ground. But they are not the crown jewels of U.S. intelligence.
But I think that what is most significant about these reports is what they do say about the links of Pakistani intelligence to the Taliban. Now, these aren't -- these aren't -- this isn't new information. In fact, we've seen a steady stream of reporting about the links between Pakistani intelligence and the Taliban over the last few years.
CHETRY: Right.
CURTIS: But I think it is important that these bring to the surface of this problem because, quite frankly, we won't achieve our objectives in Afghanistan until we get full Pakistani cooperation on dealing with these sanctuaries.
CHETRY: But we -- it doesn't seem likely we are going to get full Pakistani cooperation. There are many analysts who say they are waiting out America's withdrawal from Afghanistan and need to bolster those tie was the Taliban because of their own geopolitical struggles within India. CURTIS: Well, I think that's where we come to the withdrawal date. This announcement that U.S. will begin withdrawing forces in July 2011, I think this has been terribly damaging to our overall strategy because of what you just said, because it has forced the Pakistanis to hedge on their support to the Taliban. Because if the U.S. withdraws prematurely, they feel they need the Taliban to protect their own national security interests to counter Indian influence, as have you said.
What's important to remember is when we have had that smoking gun of intelligence or links of the ISI to direct attacks in Afghanistan, it has usually been against Indian interests. Not U.S. interests. But the fact is that by providing the sanctuary and support to the same groups that attack coalitions forces in Afghanistan, the ISI is indirectly undermining the U.S. mission in Afghanistan.
CHETRY: Yes I mean we have independent journalists and one on yesterday that has been doing a lot of work at the Pakistan -- Afghanistan boarder and he -- he says he has seen with his own two eyes people walking across the border, would-be terrorists, with the full, I guess, blessing for lack of a better word of the Pakistani forces there.
I mean obviously it is a difficult situation. The other side of the coin, though, about not having a release date is that there was -- a lot of pressure put on the United States, that unless the Afghan government believes that this is not an open-ended commitment, they are not going to necessarily step up to the plate.
So how do you balance that, as well, while still dealing with the need to have Pakistan as an ally?
CURITS: Well I think that the withdrawal date has actually had the opposite impact on the Afghan government. I think it has made the Afghan government more desperate because they also feel the U.S. is going to be leaving soon. So I don't buy the argument that somehow this withdrawal date has, you know, puts encouragement or lights a fire under the Afghan government.
I think it has the opposite impact. It encourages them to try to make deals. So I think that the best thing this could happen is that the Obama administration backs off this deadline and focuses on a winning strategy because we do have a new counter insurgency strategy that is having a positive impact and it needs to be given time to succeed. We are just now putting in the kind of resources and the troops that are necessary to stabilize Afghanistan and we need to give that strategy time while also working with the Pakistanis to bring their full cooperation to the table as well.
CHETRY: I want to ask you about the WikiLeaks again. Congressman Peter King, he is the ranking Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee, went so far as to call the release of that information treason. He also called for those found involved to be prosecuted for war crimes. Certainly not sure how much support there is within Congress as a whole for that to happen.
But do you think it rises to that level in your opinion?
CURTIS: Well, I think it is absolutely terrible to have the release of classified sensitive government information out on the internet for the whole world to read. That's certain isn't helpful. Certainly the perpetrators, whoever did this, needs to be prosecuted. I think it is damaging.
CHETRY: For war crimes?
CURTIS: I'm not sure it rises to the level of a war crime but it certainly is a crime. And it needs to be dealt with. And I think it raises serious issues about the internet, you know, what can be made available so easily. And I think it will prompt discussions in Congress about how we prevent this kind of thing from happening in the future.
CHETRY: What's it say about the security of the Pentagon in terms of being able to control this flow of information? Especially classified information.
CURTIS: Well, absolutely this is a terrible thing to happen. Somebody releasing these reports. But I do want to emphasize again these are low-level intelligence reports. This is spot reporting. The sources are varying reliability. And it is not the kind of intelligence that I think would do absolute grave damage to our National Security. But, you know, at the same time, it certainly is not helpful and actually needs to be taken to make sure it does not happen again.
CHETRY: Well all right, certainly. Lisa Curtis, former CIA analyst. And former state department adviser for South Asian affairs. Thank you for your insight this morning.
CURTIS: Thank you.
ROBERTS: Well here's a new scam that takes disgusting to a new level of low. People going online on dating websites, posting pictures sometimes of dead soldiers trying to get women to fall in love with them and then get scammed out of their money. Abbie Boudreau has that whole scam for you coming up, it's 19 and half minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Twenty-two minutes past the hour now. They used photos of soldiers stolen off of the web to create fake profiles of eligible bachelors on a host of different dating websites. And the scammers' goal is to lure women into falling in love only to dupe them out of their money in the end.
ROBERTS: CNN has confirmed it is happening to everyone from foot soldiers all the way up to generals at the Pentagon. Our Special investigations unit correspondent Abbie Boudreau is live in Atlanta for us this morning. And this is as we said, going into the break, takes disgusting to a whole new level of low. Particularly when you consider who some of the soldiers are, whose pictures are being stolen, and posted on the websites.
ABBIE BOUDREAU, CNN INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: I know. That's really remarkable thing we talked to generals at the Pentagon, as you mentioned. I mean most of these people have no idea. Some of them are stationed overseas. In Iraq or Afghanistan and they have no clue their images are being used by imposters. Now the U.S. military does know about the scam but so far nothing has been done to stop it.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice-over): These are the faces of soldiers whose military photos have been stolen, and posted on internet dating sites. This is specialist Brian Browning. His picture was also stolen. And his profile completely made up.
(on camera): We came to a story at Oregon to talk to his family because they had no idea that Brian's photograph was being used by some imposter.
PERRY BROWNING, FATHER OF BRIAN BROWNING: Some scumbag is using my son's good name and honor to pillage women.
BOUDREAU (voice-over): What's worse, the Browning's son is not even around to defend himself. Brian Browning was killed in Iraq three years ago.
BROWNING: He was up in -- he took a round. And they killed him instantly. And -- can we stop for a minute?
BOUDREAU (on camera): Sure. Yes.
STACEY CHAPMAN, SCAM VICTIM: Just seeing a photo of a man in uniform -- I really think that was the only thing that grabbed me.
BOUDREAU (voice-over): In a small town in Indiana, Stacy Chapman lives as a single mom. She says she was lonely and looking for love when she was approached online by a man who called himself Christian Browning. He used Brian Browning's military photo as his profile picture.
CHAPMAN: Soldiers have that ethic about them. They are all- American. They have passion. And I thought -- wow. I have everything wrapped up in one package.
BOUDREAU: Instantly she fell for him. They talked on the phone, chatted online. And e-mailed constantly.
CHAPMAN: I went to -- I want to see you walk down the aisle and take your hand the rest of my life. I found someone that wanted me and my children.
BOUDREAU (on camera): She sent him more than $1,000 to try to get him enough money to come home to the States for Christmas. Of course, she had no idea at the time that that's not how the military works. (voice-over): He never came home. It was all a fraud. In fact, in the past year, the army criminal investigation command has received hundreds of complaints of such scams. But since U.S. soldiers are not the perpetrators, there's not much the Army can do.
(on camera): We had to come to this tiny town in central Texas to find somebody who is trying do something to stop this scam. The military hasn't been able to do much to try to stop it and neither has the FBI. So we are about to meet C.J. Grisham these are the soldiers whose pictures have essentially been stolen.
C.J. GRISHAM, U.S. ARMY: Right. Yes. And there's hundreds of them all over the place.
BOUDREAU (voice-over): Grisham is a military blogger, a master sergeant in the army who tracks these illusive impossible terse.
GRISHAM: They will send these beautiful missives to the women and --
BOUDREAU (on camera): Make them feel special.
GRISHAM: Make them feel special. There are even instances where the -- scammers will send flowers and chocolates to their house. Shortly after they start bringing up the fact that they need money for, you know, to be able to call them or to use the internet or, you know, I just got shot and I need this or that. There is no such person as Erwin Kelly in the military.
BOUDREAU (voice-over): Grisham says there may be thousands of victims. And the imposters likely live in West Africa. Based on some of the e-mails he has tracked. Stacy Chapman was never able to find her online imposter. And likely never will.
CHAPMAN: I really sunk a lot into this man. I let my kids get sucked in by him. I put everything I had into him.
BOUDREAU (on camera): What do you think about the woman who fell in love with your son's picture and profile? She wanted to marry him.
BROWNINGS: She fell in love with a nice picture of a young man. He was worth falling in love with.
BOUDREAU: Who is the real Brian?
BROWNINGS: A loving son, caring, funny character, this is a room for Brian.
BOUDREAU: This is the photo. See how it -- last name there, Browning.
BROWNINGS: Yes.
BOUDREAU: And then that's how they stole his identity.
BROWNINGS: That's the name tag. That is the name tag right there. Just know scumbag out there, the Brownings are looking for you, hard.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: Whether or not they will ever find him is another question. And also Abbie, whatever happened to Brian Browning's photo? Was it eventually removed from the dating website?
BOUDREAU: Well Kiran we do believe that it has been taken off certain dating sites. But unfortunately we just learned his military photo has now popped up on Facebook using a completely fake profile. His family is just outraged. They just want, whoever is doing, this to leave their son alone.
ROBERTS: So here's what I can't figure out Abbie. If, you know, one military blogger, retired master sergeant, can track these people down, why can't the Pentagon do anything about it? Because these are servicemen, current, sometimes former and sometimes deceased. And these people are using the name in the military to try to reel these women in. So why can't the Pentagon do anything about this?
BOUDREAU: Well we have been told that because the U.S. soldiers are not the perpetrators, it falls -- it falls outside of its jurisdiction and that's the reason that they are not looking for these people. It is hard to -- imagine that. But that's the case.
ROBERTS: Well all right. Abbie Boudreau for us this morning with a very, very troubling story. Abbie, thanks so much. Wow it is just incredible, isn't it?
CHETRY: And also, you think -- if the Pentagon can't do it or isn't able to do it, you know, there has to be other violations. If you are trying to extort money from people, under false pretenses, you would think that -- at least somebody could --
ROBERTS: Well Abbie says -- beware out there when you are looking through these things, for sure. Twenty eight minutes, it is almost 29 after the hour. We are going to put a personal face on the immigration debate. An illegal immigrant tries to do the right thing and now he is stuck. John Zarrella has got Oscar's story coming right up for us, stay with us.
CHETRY: How about this one, last week we talked about the beer tasters. Well this guy is actually paid to smoke pot. He is Denver Newspaper's first medical marijuana critic.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Just in to CNN. We have learned two Americans were onboard that Pakistani plane that crashed overnight just outside of Islamabad. Pakistan's information minister says that there are no survivors from the jetliner that crashed just outside of the capital.
And 152 people were onboard. Police say more than 100 bodies have been recovered so far from the wreckage. A witness says it was raining at the time of the crash and the plane burst into fiery pieces when it hit the ground. The crews have managed to recover the plane's so-called black box flight data recorder.
CHETRY: Well, Arizona officials may find out today whether a federal judge will block their controversial immigration law. If not, police will start enforcing it tomorrow.
Also, there is a new CNN opinion research corporation poll about the issue. Most Americans in fact do support Arizona's immigration law, 55 percent in favor, 40 percent against it. But most Americans also say that the law will increase discrimination against Hispanics and not really make a dent in the problem.
ROBERTS: This morning we had the emotional story of one young man caught in the middle of all of this, someone who tried to do the right thing and is now stuck waiting for reform. John Zarrella has an "A.M." original. He's live in Phoenix for us this morning. John, this is quite a story you are about to unfold here.
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it really is, John. This is the first of a two-part series on a young man that was brought here from Mexico by his mom when he was 12-years-old. He went to high school, graduated, went to college, graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering. He was living the American dream.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ZARRELLA: Highway 15 in Mexico, south of Tucson, a road running through the life of Oscar Vasquez.
OSCAR VASQUEZ, ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT: Most days I go to work and come home and sleep and sleep as much as I can and go back to work.
ZARRELLA: This part of Oscar's story will come later. Just remember Highway 15.
Let's go back, 2004. Carl Hayden Community high school in Phoenix. Vasquez of Mexican descent was a senior and had been in the United States since he was 12 when he and his mother slipped across the border to meet his dad, who was already here.
FARIDODIN LAJVARDI, OSCAR'S HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER: At the time immigration was not that big. It was kind of accepted by everybody that, you know, we had undocumented students but no one made an issue of it. It was kind of just like second nature.
ZARRELLA: He worked his way up to executive officer in the schools ROTC program. He was also part of a team of students, really bright students, who with little money but a boatload of ingenuity built an underwater robot.
CHRISTIAN ARCEGA, ROBOTICS TEAMMATE: You know, he was somebody that you could trust. He would always step up and take charge when nobody else would. He would be the first volunteer.
ZARRELLA: They called the robot "Stinky" for the glue that held it together.
LUIS ARANDA, ROBOTICS TEAMMATE: When you put glue together with PVC and open it up, it smells really, really --
ZARRELLA (on camera): It stunk.
ARANDA: Yes.
ZARRELLA (voice-over): The team entered Stinky in a national competition judged by NASA and the U.S. Navy. Instead of entering the high school division, they put Stinky up against university competition, including a team from MIT.
VASQUEZ: We decided to go to the university because if we did lose, which was probably the case, it wasn't going to be that bad.
ZARRELLA: The robot was stinky in name only. Of course, as all good stories go, it wins. These overachieving high school kids from Phoenix are showered with accolades. For Oscar, it's the American dream coming true.
VASQUEZ: It was an accomplishment I never thought I was going to be able to do. For me, just going to high school and making it out of high school was going to be a big thing. No one in my family had been to high school.
ZARRELLA: Oscar goes on to attend the engineering school at Arizona State. The school puts his picture on a brochure. He marries Carla. It was a simple wedding. They didn't have a lot of money. In May of 2009, Oscar stands during the commencement ceremony. He is recognized as an outstanding example of perseverance and accomplishment.
One of those in the audience applauding, President Obama.
VASQUEZ: Sitting there, you know, the president, right there, who is a few yards away from me, it was pretty amazing, special.
ZARRELLA: The president, there to deliver the commencement address.
ZARRELLA (on camera): That brings us back here to Highway 15 in Mexico. The American dream for Oscar went south, literally, taking a detour down this road.
ZARRELLA (voice-over): On a Sunday afternoon, Oscar's wife, Carla, with a little bit of help, packs their two-year-old daughter Samantha's, suitcase -- toys, too. She will be up early Monday. It is a long drive from Phoenix to Highway 15 in Mexico to visit Oscar.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ZARRELLA: Now, tomorrow we are going to take you along with Carla and with little Sammy down highway 15 to visit Oscar. And we will explain exactly why Oscar is down there. And it may not be what you think.
I'll put it this way. Here's a young man with a degree in mechanical engineering coveted by many places here in this country, people with that skill, and he couldn't use that skill here in the United States. John, Kiran?
ROBERTS: You have us intrigued. I can't wait for part two tomorrow. Thanks so much
CHETRY: We will be watching. Thanks, John.
Well, 100 days of the Gulf oil spill, life will never be the same. But has it gotten better than those early days after the spill? We are going to check in with shrimping entrepreneur Dean Blanchard, who had millions of dollars riding on this year's shrimp season. He will join us to see how things are now. We'll check back in.
It's 37 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to the most news of the morning. It's 40 minutes past the hour right now.
We are 100 days into the oil spill in the Gulf, and the men and women that make their living off of the waters are still struggling to survive.
When I visited the Gulf coast back in May, I had chance to meet up with Dean Blanchard, the president of the largest seafood company in the area, and he told me that this spring's bounty could have been a record breaker. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Did this oil spill happen at the worst possible time?
DEAN BLANCHARD, PRESIDENT, DEAN BLANCHARD SEAFOOD: The worst possible time and worst possible year. This is a year we have been waiting for for ten years. The last year we had like this with a cold winter was in the year 2000.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: There you go, Dean Blanchard joins us live from New Orleans this morning. And it was such a shame to see your entire operation basically at standstill when we were there back in April. Today marks 100 days since this tragedy happened. Are things any better for you? What's the state of your business now?
BLANCHARD: Well, it is actually getting worse, you know, just getting worse and worse. We are down to nothing. We are sitting there waiting, hoping to get everything stopped.
CHETRY: You mean in terms of the -- in terms of the oil. I know that what you had told me before is you were debating whether or not to pick up stakes and leave. And I know that you provide a livelihood for a lot of people in that area and they wanted you to stay. I see you are still there, but how much longer?
BLANCHARD: Well, basically we have been -- you know, knocked down by BP and we're getting kicked by the United States government. It is kind of hard not to leave. I have talked to people in Costa Rica yesterday. I'm still considering it.
CHETRY: When you say knocked down by the government, what should they have done? What more could they be doing now to help you guys?
BLANCHARD: Well, basically, you know, I lost my whole year, millions of dollars, and they have given me $165,000. Tony Hayward gets $18 million. I think Tony Hayward needs to get 18 years in prison.
CHETRY: Now you have a new guy, Mississippi native, at the helm of BP. Do you think things will get better now that Bob Dudley is there?
BLANCHARD: Well, basically BP's always been a cheap company. They nickel and dimed every step of this operation. And I don't see they changing.
CHETRY: Now that it is in the hands of an independent commission, Ken Feinberg, who's going to be handing out the money and compensation, do you think it will get better? Do you expect to be fully reimbursed for this lost season?
BLANCHARD: No. I met Mr. Feinberg. And if have you six months to live, you want him to tell you. He will explain why six months is better than five. But for making me whole, I don't think he is going to give me what I lost.
CHETRY: When you look ahead, today a lot of what they have been talking about is saying that the oil spill is in the final stages, that they are skimming and they are not even getting an entire barrel for all of those ships out there that are skimming.
Does this seem to be a turning point for you guys? Do you think that this water can get back to normal and it can be as bountiful as it once was?
BLANCHARD: No. What's going on is BP's finally harvesting the oil, skimming off the well. They are constantly spraying the oil and sinking it. If you are only looking at the top, pretty soon you won't see none because it is all on the bottom.
CHETRY: What does that do to the shrimp larva?
BLANCHARD: That's what we have yet to find out. That's my problem with Mr. Feinberg. He wants me to make a decision in six to eight months when I can't predict the future of what the oil sitting on the bottom of our plankton and other nutrients that feed our ecosystem down there, and he wants us to make a decision in eight months when it is going to take us at least three years.
CHETRY: So you think it will be three years before you can even figure out whether or not there will be viable shrimp in that area again?
BLANCHARD: Well, I think it is going to be at least three years before we know if things are back to normal.
CHETRY: Right.
And we talked about the massive cleanup operation. A lot of the fishermen put to work by helping clean up. Now that that's sort of winding down as well, what's the future for making a living in your area?
BLANCHARD: Well, that's -- that's -- you know, remains to be seen. This is all new to us.
Like I have said, if we don't -- in my opinion, if BP leaves before they clean the bottoms, we will have trouble for a longer period of time. If they let our shrimp boats go and drag up the bottom, I think we can be back up and running in a couple of years and actually save BP money.
But BP is going the cheap route. I believe BP will let off a lot of the fishermen. I believe BP is trying to downsize and leave our area as soon as possible.
CHETRY: Well, we will see if the federal response allows that to happen. I'm glad that you let us check in with you and we had a chance to see how things are going. We still wish you the best of luck. And please keep in touch whether or not the compensation is working out, Dean. Thank you.
BLANCHARD: You have a nice morning, Kiran.
CHETRY: You, too.
ROBERTS: Coming up now on 45 minutes after the hour. What's better, the power skunk or squidgy black? A newspaper in Denver hires a medical marijuana critic to smoke pot and find out what's best for you. We have that story coming up.
And strong storms that could pop up in the Midwest and the south. Jacqui Jeras with all that, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JERAS: A twister caught on tape in Montana on Monday night. The National Weather Service now tells us that this was an EF-3 tornado. Very rare in the state of Montana, estimated winds around 150 miles per hour. Damaged several homes in the area, two people were killed. This was the deadliest tornado in Montana since 1923 and one of only three recorded EF-3s in history.
Ok, welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING.
That same storm system on the move this morning and there you can see a much weaker front as it makes its way across parts of the Midwest bringing some rainfall from Madison towards Milwaukee. We will expect to see more thunderstorms kicking up this afternoon in some of the same areas and those could become severe from Indianapolis up towards Detroit into the Cleveland area as well as Buffalo.
We're also looking at a secondary area of severe weather across parts of the intermountain west. And the fire danger is here very high as well. There you can see the red flag warnings in place. We have that fire that's burning, two of them, actually, in the Kern County area. And thousands of people have been evacuated and dozens of homes have been burned.
The heat is strong across parts of the west and very dry conditions here. There will be some of those pop up thunderstorms, the heat continues across parts of the east but very little in ways of advisories.
That's a look at the nation's weather. John and Kiran are going to be on AMERICAN MORNING right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Eight minutes now to the top of the hour. It's time for your "AM House Calls", stories about your health.
Some 26 million people smoke marijuana legally and illegally in the United States.
CHETRY: Yes, it's legal for patients to smoke medical marijuana in 14 states. And it's been on the books in Colorado for a decade. But you'll never believe what one man in Denver gets paid to do.
CNN's Poppy Harlow shows us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM (voice-over): Not only is this legal, it pays the bills.
(on camera): So you get paid to smoke pot and write about it?
"WILLIAM BREATHES", MARIJUANA CRITIC: I get paid to smoke pot and write about it. Yes.
HARLOW (voice-over): His pen name is William Breathes and he's one of the first medical marijuana critics in the country. We can't show you his face because his job depends on staying anonymous. Just like a restaurant critic.
(on camera): You can be high doing your job.
BREATHES: And -- and my boss knows it.
HARLOW (voice-over): A decade after medical marijuana was legalized in Colorado, it's estimated about two percent of the state's population or more than 100,000 people have applied for medical marijuana licenses.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you there.
HARLOW: According to one Harvard economist, roughly $18 billion is spent on pot every year in the U.S. and Denver's Westward paper has capitalized on just that. Hiring Breathes as a pot critic who reviews the dispensaries and the quality of the marijuana they sell.
JONATHAN SHIKES, MANAGING EDITOR, DENVER WESTWARD: He has his journalism degree. He's a good writer. And he could also punctuate and he could spell which was very different than a lot of people who applied for the job.
HARLOW: As for Breathes he has been smoking for 15 years to ease chronic stomach pains. But now his medicine pays his mortgage.
We tagged along to see for ourselves and we didn't take our cameras inside but take a listen.
BREATHES: Oh, that -- that's great.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Want to do the cough?
BREATHES: I'm going to have to go with that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: An eighth or --
BREATHES: Yes, I'll go with an eighth --
HARLOW (on camera): Can you -- can you show us what you got?
BREATHES: Yes. I got a joint. A figural joint of satara diesel (ph) and it's a really chunky real -- a real good looking pot.
HARLOW: I can smell it.
BREATHES: Yes, you can smell --
HARLOW: It's like permeating the whole car.
BREATHES: Yes, exactly. That muskiness is something we really look for --
HARLOW: Does that mean it's good?
BREATHES: Yes.
HARLOW (voice-over): Back at him office it's time to get to work.
BREATHES: I load up a little bit and taste it. Try and taste the smoke as it comes out. And -- I was going to say it has a real like woody finish. You know, after a few hits of that and try to feel what type of buzz it is and what it is doing to my body medically.
HARLOW (on camera): So you know the critics would say that you just want to get high.
BREATHES: Oh yes, definitely. And -- I'm not going to lie. There is a fun aspect to this medicine. But if you could see me on a morning when I'm really sick, when pot really helps me the most, it's -- it's is truly medical.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARLOW: All right, well, as for that job, I asked if he could believe that he has it. He says if you'd asked me six months ago I would say give me a hit of whatever you are smoking. It's a reality for him.
Another reality is that Colorado is going to get some very intense regulations to their medical marijuana industry coming August 1st.
John and Kiran, they are going also to propose a the six percent tax to try to take some of the money out for medical marijuana and create youth programs.
(CROSSTALK)
HARLOW: It's an $18 billion industry.
CHETRY: Huge.
HARLOW: And so many municipalities and states are suffering right now because of an eroding tax base.
CHETRY: There you see it. What was it like to interview him? He was clear -- he was obviously high while you were interviewing him, right?
HARLOW: Yes. He was getting there. It was about 2:00 in the afternoon. And I said have you smoked yet today? He said yes, I smoked this morning. I said would you smoke now? He said yes, it's about time.
So he took a rip or a hit from his bong, I suppose you would call it. He said look, this is my job. My job is to show the good, the bad, and the sketchy of Denver's medical marijuana dispensaries.
And you know what? Honestly, on a serious note, some of the dispensaries are in people's houses. They're very dirty, they're very grungy. This is a way to let people know that maybe they are not as safe as other places.
He takes it seriously. This guy, William Breathes, has a 4.0 grad school, just bought a house, very responsible guy. Not exactly your stereotype that goes along with it.
ROBERTS: What's the source of his stomach pains?
HARLOW: He's had it for 15 years. No medication has been able to get rid of his stomach pain. He doesn't like being on a lot of prescription drugs. He says this is the only thing that works.
ROBERTS: Well, that, I think we can say is a fascinating story.
CHETRY: Yes. And you actually say there are more of these medical marijuana clinics than there are Starbucks.
HARLOW: In Denver, 200 medical marijuana clinics in Denver alone, more than Starbucks. Amazing, right?
ROBERTS: Pretty amazing. Poppy, thanks so much.
HARLOW: See you guys.
ROBERTS: You can see more of the story, by the way, on CNNmoney.com.
It's now 56-and-a-half minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: An innovative program in New Jersey is offering new challenges for promising young students from low-income communities to try to reach their full potential.
ROBERTS: Our Allan Chernoff has got the story in this morning's "Building up America".
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Summer in the city, playing ball, hanging out. Getting in trouble? Not Robert Emmanuel. This 15-year-old from Newark, New Jersey is a W.E.B. DuBois scholar this summer, in a different world 40 miles south on the campus of Princeton University.
For five weeks the DuBois Scholars Institute takes promising African-American students from underprivileged backgrounds and mixes them with equally bright black students from wealthier families, bringing more than 50 students to Princeton University.
ROBERT EMMANUEL, W.E.B. DUBOIS SCHOLAR: It really changed my thinking about myself, by bringing out a new me which I thought -- which I never knew was there.
CHERNOFF: Psychology professor Sherl Boone is putting DuBois' "Talented Ten" (ph) concept into practice, hoping to develop tomorrow's black leaders by building students' confidence and intellectual skills.
PROF. SHERL BOONE, W.E.B. DUBOIS SCHOLARS' INSTITUTE: DuBois was founded with the hope that we could begin to develop those who I believe have the greatest potential for solving some of the problems that confronted us.
CHERNOFF: Today, Robert's class is studying the BP oil crisis and business ethics.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: BP should try to involve other oil companies, because they're also affected by this, too.
CHERNOFF: The institute wants these students to remember that they can be leaders who will take on the nation's most challenging problems.
EMMANUEL: Going back to school, I'm more prepared. I feel as though I can do anything in school. I can get straight A's. I can get a 4.5 GPA.
CHERNOFF: Allan Chernoff, CNN, Princeton, New Jersey.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: Great stuff.
Well, that's going to do it for us today. Thanks so much for being with us. Please continue the conversation on any of the stories that you've seen by heading to our blog which is cnn.com/amfix.
ROBERTS: The news continues on CNN with Kyra Phillips in the "CNN NEWSROOM". Good morning, Kyra.
