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Oil Slick Close to Coast
Aired April 30, 2010 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, guys. Thanks so much. Well, here it comes. The oil slick headed to shore like some dark, oozing, lazy hurricane. From space it even looks like a hurricane, bands and all. Several states brace for impact. And here's the question. How did this thing go from no big deal to a catastrophe?
School kids in China, stabbed, beaten with a hammer. It happened three times this week.
And a husband and wife still very much in love, splitting up. This isn't a divorce. But something did come between them. Arizona's new immigration law.
Well, we saw it coming. A massive oil slick headed for shore in Louisiana. The governor has declared a state of emergency now. But this is just tip of the iceberg. The first state will see it get much worse over the next few days and possible weeks.
Reynolds Wolf live in Venice, Louisiana this morning. Reynolds?
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, I'll tell you, we are still watching a lot of action. We're also watching that oil get closer to shore. Still no confirmation as to whether or not it's made that direct contact with the shoreline here in Louisiana.
The Coast Guard took off about an hour or so it goes. When you hear word if they know, if they confirmed yet, if it has made contact. Although there are some reports out there -- not confirmed but some reports -- that said that it has.
One thing we've seen again about the action that has been taking place, a lot of boats here at this specific port helping to put out over 175,000 feet of that protective barrier around much of the state line around the region.
And I'll tell you, they're expecting another 5,000 feet of that to be put in other parts of the region, all part of the ramped up -- all part of the ramped up effort since Bobby Jindal, the governor here in Louisiana, declared this place under a state of emergency.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. BOBBY JINDAL (R), LOUISIANA: We requested additional booms to cover all coast areas impacted by the oil spill. That would help to protect our coast, our fisheries, as the oil comes closer to our coast. We also asked Secretary -- I asked Secretary Napolitano that response teams be on the ground, be ready to respond when and if the oil reaches our coast.
We're continuing to push the Coast Guard and BP for more resources, to send more boots on the ground in response to oil reaching our coast.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
WOLF: When I say this place, I'm of course referring to Venice, Louisiana. And I'll tell you from where we stand, this very point, we're not far at all from a wildlife refuge, that means Delta National Wildlife Refuge, one of 10 that happen to be in parts of Louisiana and Mississippi.
Now these are the areas that may be affected first as this oil comes ever closer. You know if we can for a moment -- we've got photojournalist Steve Stewart.
Steve, let's pan off a little bit. Off in the distance, you can see some of those grasses.
Kyra, that is one of the first things that could be affected by that oil coming onshore. Now as the oil gets closer, those grasses can die. And once they die, the extensive root systems that hold on that soil, well, those die, too. And that is really the anchor that holds that soil together.
Another thing that will be affected, obviously, the wildlife. More specifically, some of the birds. Now the birds, when they get that oil that gets on their feathers, well that's going to prevent them from flying. When they can't fly, guess what? They can't hunt.
That means they can't eat -- eat and when that occurs, many of them could eventually starve to death.
Speaking of that, we talked about the -- not just the environment but the economic impact that this is going to have, not only on, say, the oysters but of course the shrimp. You've got all kinds of fishing here.
This is a sportsman's paradise here in Louisiana. And of course you've got the tourism industry, not just in this particular state, but when you go a little bit farther to the east, the pristine coastlines of both Alabama and Florida, they refer to that area often as the Emerald Coast where you have that beautiful water, of course, those beaches.
All that will change if that oil comes sculling.
That's the latest. Let's wrap it up and send it back to you.
PHILLIPS: All right, Reynolds, thanks so much.
Let's go ahead and bring in CNN meteorologist, Rob Marciano now. He's checking the currents and the winds that's pushing that massive oil slick toward shore.
And what do you think, Rob? How does it look right now?
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I mean, it's coming -- if it's not there already, it's coming, Kyra, unfortunately. The winds are that strong and they're not going to change directions.
And we said this yesterday where coastal flood watches had been posted. And these winds now strong enough to overtake the current. So that's not an issue. And they're going to move anything on that water including the oil in the direction the wind is blowing to.
So here it is. Winds blowing 20-25 miles an hour at times today. And that will push this oil farther towards the north and northwest, and eventually, towards the northeast as well.
All right, this is where the slick was last night. These are maps from NOAA so we appreciate that. When you start to see the red highlighted areas, that is land areas and coastline that is impacted.
The darker black, that's kind of their margin of error forecast. So worst case scenario for today would include that black shaded area also. But notice how it gets towards the Chandelier Islands east of Lake Pontchartrain and then eventually on Saturday and probably into Sunday we start to incorporate or at least threaten the barrier islands of coastal Mississippi.
So -- and all of this is driven by the winds. The currents would take this to the west or east. But the winds so strong now, Kyra, and will be for the next day or two. They're just going to blow in the direction those winds are blowing.
We don't anticipate the winds switching direction or at least to a more favorable direction or speed until at least Monday, if not Tuesday.
Back over to you.
PHILLIPS: OK. A lot of people here talking about their vacations in Alabama and Florida. And I know there's a lot of concern about all that stuff moving onshore, Rob.
MARCIANO: Well, come Monday and Tuesday, the winds will turn and that may save beaches along Alabama and Florida. So --
PHILLIPS: OK.
MARCIANO: We'll just have to take it day by day. There is hope at the end -- a light at the end of the tunnel. But the next two days look pretty dicey.
PHILLIPS: Got it. Thanks, Rob.
President Obama is vowing to throw the kitchen sink at the spill offering every resource at their disposal. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano leads the White House delegation to the Gulf Coast today. She and Interior secretary Ken Salazar, rather, will fly over that slick and check on the efforts that are under way.
But the administration is getting heat that it's a too little too late. Just checking in now, 10 days after that oil rig first exploded.
BP is leading the cleanup efforts in the gulf. They are also paying the tab. But they've also accepted the military's offer to lend a hand.
So what exactly is the military prepared to do? We're going to check that out next hour.
Also President Obama speaks from the Rose Garden. Next hour, the GDP is the subject. But we are expecting him to remark on the oil spill as well. We'll bring that to you live.
Time is running out. And if you want to take advantage of the home buyer tax credit, all contracts must be signed today for the $8,000 incentive. Across the country, some builders will stay open late and real estate agents will race to midnight, that deadline, to finalize the paperwork.
Just as of mid-February, nearly two million buyers took advantage of the stimulus money. The cost to taxpayers has been more than $12.5 billion and counting.
And a bad situation in Spain. The unemployment rate has just squeaked past 20 percent, making it the highest in the European Union. Spain has been mired in a recession since the collapse of a construction boom that had fueled years of growth.
Twice this week, school kids attacked with knives. And today, the guy with a hammer uses it on some other kids. What in the world is going on in China?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: So what is going on in China? Just this week alone, we've seen three cases of men attacking schoolchildren with knives or a hammer. And another man executed for stabbing kids to death.
CNN's Jaime Florcruz reports it's looking like copycat crimes.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAIME FLORCRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (VOICE-OVER): Horrified residents wait outside a kindergarten. Shocked after a knife-wielding man attacked a class of 4-year-olds. Twenty-eight students were wounded in the rampage.
"It was too horrible to imagine," says this eyewitness. "I saw blood everywhere and kids bleeding from their heads." That was Thursday. But similar horrific images played out in other Chinese cities this week. In southern Guangdong Province on Wednesday, this knife-wielding man is cornered after he stabbed 18 students and a teacher. He was later subdued by the police.
This series of school attacks are blamed on suspects with personal grievances or mental illness.
DING XUELIANG, HONG KONG UNIV. OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY: The Chinese society has generated enormous pressure on individuals. And some of those individuals (INAUDIBLE) had emotional and psychological problems.
And they want to cause general attention from the population and attacking kids probably is the best way in their perspective to achieve this objective.
FLORCRUZ: This man got a lot of attention. One early morning in March, he attacked elementary school pupils in southern Fujian Province, killing eight and wounding several others.
The man believed to be mentally disturbed was sentenced to death and was executed this week.
(On camera): Still, his execution failed to deter similar attacks. In the most recent incidents, a man barged into a school, attacked three school students with a hammer, then grabbed two of them and set himself on fire.
(Voice-over): Experts worry that extensive coverage of such attacks in the local media may be prompting copycat violence.
XUELIANG: With the mass media, particularly, you know, Internet and computer, I would say more individuals are likely to copy such practice. Even the Chinese government doesn't do anything quickly and effectively.
FLORCRUZ: For the terrified pupils and worried parents, the solutions are just not coming quick enough.
Jaime Florcruz, CNN, Beijing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: And this next story is sure to spark a lot of debate. Belgium has become the first country in Europe to vote for a ban on the Muslim burqa. France is now set to follow suit.
Muslim groups have voiced outrage as have human rights groups. They say banning the full Islamic veil is an infringement on religious rights. Supporters of the ban say it's an issue of public safety because the burqas conceal the person's face.
Rob Marciano is monitoring that big oil slick for us but also all the other weather conditions around the country. Rob?
(WEATHER REPORT)
MARCIANO: I want to show you this picture. High resolution NASA satellite image, this is cloud cover. And this is the oil slick. The more dense or the more white spot here, that's here you've got really more coagulated oil, top oil, flooding at the surface.
And then the sheen not all that well depicted in this. It's a really, really, thin sheen. But you kind of see it here in the green area. That's just slick off the coastline right now. And as we mentioned earlier in the program, Kyra, with that strong south-southeast wind, it's all but for sure going to come ashore at least in some spots in Louisiana during the day today.
We'll talk more about that throughout the morning. Back over to you.
PHILLIPS: Yes, not good. We're going to talk about all the fishermen and women that are very concerned about that as well.
Thanks, Rob.
MARCIANO: You got it.
PHILLIPS: Now an update on a person making their mark just one step at a time. You may remember Lisa Smith. We spoke to her just as she was ready to embark on a truly ambitious journey. She's running 50 miles in each of the 50 states and she's doing it in just two months time.
Over the past nine days, she's actually logged 450 miles across New England and New Jersey. She's hoping to raise $1 million to help orphans in the U.S. and around the world.
We're going to keep checking in on her progress.
The land of opportunity closes the door on a married couple.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's not wanted here. And I don't feel that we are wanted as Latinos, we're not wanted here. My heart is broken.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Their last embrace for who knows how long. Broken up by Arizona's immigration law.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: A massive oil slick is closing in on the Louisiana coast right now bringing thousands of gallons of light sweet crude into the protected wetlands and fragile fishing areas.
Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal has already declared a state of emergency. We'll have more on this story in just about 10 minutes.
Teachers out of the classroom and into the streets. They are protesting in Greece over work place changes due to the country's debt crisis. As you can see, push came to shove with riot police. They've turned hoses on the teachers.
Move over, Delta. You're no longer going to be the big kid on the block. The "Wall Street Journal" reports Continental and United are near a merger deal. Talks are set for this weekend with a possible announcement Monday.
The combined carriers would become the world's largest airline. Caveat here, the deal could still fall through like in 2008 when Continental left United at the altar.
Cracking down on illegal immigrants. The backlash over Arizona's new law stretches from the street to the courtroom. Now lawmakers revisit the original law and make a few tweaks.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: The clock is ticking in Arizona. State lawmakers adjourned their regular session last night and that means the new immigration law should take effect in 90 days. But legal challenges have been filed.
The law allows law enforcement to ask anyone for proof of U.S. residency if there is reason to believe that they're in the country illegally.
All week there have been protests. Critics have been saying, hold on, that will lead to racial profiling. Well, last night lawmakers made a few changes and sent them to the governor for her approval. One change would toughen restrictions against using race or ethnicity as a basis for questioning people by police.
They are married but they're splitting up. It's not what you think. They still love each other madly. So what's happening? Arizona's new immigration law is driving them apart.
CNN's Thelma Gutierrez reports.
THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, here in Arizona, among some groups within the immigrant community, the fear is palpable. And even though this law will be challenged, some families told us, they're not willing to take the risk.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GUTIERREZ (voice-over): This family is spending their final evening together. In less than 24 hours, this woman, whom we'll call Ana, will say good-bye to her husband and send him out of Arizona.
It's me and my husband.
GUTIERREZ: He is undocumented. She's an American citizen. They're legally married but say they feel unsafe in this state.
(On camera): You're an American citizen. They're obviously not going to be able to deport you.
ANNA, HUSBAND IS UNDOCUMENTED: No.
GUTIERREZ: Why are you fearful?
ANNA: Because this law leaves a lot of room for mistakes.
GUTIERREZ: Don't you have faith in the police and the sheriff's deputies here in the state?
ANNA: No. They also need to enforce the law. And if this law comes into effect, they need to do their job.
GUTIERREZ (voice-over): If Anna's husband was stopped, he'd likely be arrested and prosecuted under Arizona's new law for being in the state illegally. He says he has no choice but to leave.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking in foreign language).
GUTIERREZ (On camera): You don't want to go. You still like Arizona?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking in foreign language).
GUTIERREZ: You were happy here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Si.
GUTIERREZ: Why are you leaving?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking in foreign language).
GUTIERREZ (voice-over): He says he doesn't want his immigration status to jeopardize his wife in any way.
Anna is a family counselor and she says she can't leave because of her job.
ANNA: I'm a citizen. I am no criminal. I went to school. I have a master's degree. I'm a professional. And I still have to feel this way. I think it's unfair.
GUTIERREZ: A critic might say, but you chose to marry someone who's undocumented?
ANNA: How do you tell your heart not to? We are not machines. We're robots. We're humans.
GUTIERREZ (voice-over): Anna says she's sure other families are leaving because of fear.
(On camera): They were hoping for this exodus of undocumented people. Now it's happening. Isn't that -- aren't you giving them what they want?
ANNA: They are going to regret it, though. They will regret it.
GUTIERREZ: How?
ANNA: Financially, they will not have people working the farms. They will not have people working, picking up strawberries.
GUTIERREZ: What will you tell people about why your husband is not living with you?
ANNA: I will tell them the truth. This is why he is not here. He had to leave. He is not wanted here. And I don't feel that we are wanted. As Latinos, we're not wanted here. My heart is broken. And in pain.
GUTIERREZ (voice-over): Thirteen hours after we met them, they spent their last morning together as a couple in Arizona.
Then it's time to head out. She wouldn't say where he was going. But she doesn't know when she'll see him again.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GUTIERREZ: Anna and her husband are not alone. We talked to several families who told us that they, too, will leave Arizona if the law is enacted within 90 days -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Well, even though Anna's husband is leaving home, we need to remind you that the immigration law is not in effect right now. It's supposed to kick in 90 days after the state legislature adjourns. That session ended last night. So the clock is definitely ticking.
Well, this issue definitely makes us angry, it makes us sad and, yes, when it comes to the late-night shows, it can even make us laugh.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID LETTERMAN, HOST, "LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN": Anybody here from Arizona?
(CHEERS)
LETTERMAN: Mm-hmm. OK.
(LAUGHTER)
LETTERMAN: They have this new immigration law and here is the best I can understand it now if you don't look like you belong where you are, they can arrest you.
(LAUGHTER)
LETTERMAN: You know what I'm saying? Hey, you don't look like -- get out of here. They're serious about it. You know the Chamber of Commerce has put up the brand new signs. They say, "Welcome to Arizona. Now get out."
(LAUGHTER) LETTERMAN: A lot of sensitivity about this law. People saying that it's aimed at the Mexicans because they're just south of the border. And Arizona says, no, no, no, no, not just Mexicans. As a matter of fact, today they were out rounding up blue Pandorans.
(LAUGHTER)
LETTERMAN: I don't know. I don't know.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: 210,000 gallons a day, that's how much oil is pouring into the gulf from an underwater leak. BP, the oil company, leading cleanup efforts. But is that who should be running things?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: And we focus on Wall Street today. Key report on the overall U.S. economy. It's a big report but early reaction is pretty tamed.
Stephanie Elam in New York with a preview of the market action.
Hey, Steph.
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kyra. Yes, you'd think there would be a little bit more fanfare. But we are looking for a flat open today after reports showing that the economy did continue to grow.
An early look at first quarter GDP showed the economy improved at a 3.2 annual rate in the first three months of the year with consumer and business spending leading the way. It's the third quarter of growth in a row, helping to support that argument out there that the recession likely ended at some point last year.
Now, things don't seem to be getting any better for Goldman Sachs. Federal prosecutors are reportedly be getting a criminal probe into the bank to examine whether Goldman has committed security's fraud. Company shares of Goldman Sachs are off a little more than 5 percent right now.
And a huge deal in the airline sector could be on the horizon. The Wall Street Journal reports that Continental Airlines and United Airlines parent company, UAL, are close to merging. A deal would create the world's largest carrier.
So, let's go ahead and take a look at the numbers right now. Like we said, a little flat line dance for you on the Friday morning here. The Dow only upside by three points, 11, 171, Nasdaq off 2 at 2,509.
Now, in the next hour, we will be getting readings on consumer sentiment as well as manufacturing which could give the market a more definitive direction. At this point, Kyra, we'll just keep our eyes on it for you.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Sounds good. Thanks, Steph.
President Obama will be talking up the economy this morning giving his opinion whether the recovery is on track. He is going to make a statement from the Rose Garden about 10:35 Eastern Time. We're expecting him also to comment on the oil rig explosion and that oil slick that continues to spread. We'll take that live.
Oil headed for sure right now matter of fact and that what we're seeing in Louisiana, the leading edge of that massive oil slick. It's what we feared, too. Crews working overtime trying to get enough booms out there to protect the fragile coastline. Fishing ground and vacation beaches all threatened here. Here's what we're looking at this moment. Louisiana is first, but tomorrow, Mississippi, and then by next week, we should see oil mucking up the coastline all the way to Florida. 210,000 gallons a day still pouring out of those underwater leaks.
Now as the oil slicks sweeps through the gulf, it's passing through some pretty fragile fishing areas, making things even tougher for the people who make their living on fish, shrimp, and oysters. We get more now from Dan Thomas, the affiliate at WEAR in Pensacola, Florida.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN THOMAS, AFFILIATE, WEAR (voice-over): Ray Boyer has spent 22 years in the seafood business.
RAY BOYER, GENERAL MANAGER, MARIA'S: I don't recall having something like this in our backyard, you know, having to worry about the direction of the spill like that.
THOMAS: But that's just what he's doing, keeping a close eye on gulf currents and wind direction.
BOYER: It's always in the back of everybody's mind, if weather picks up in the wrong manner and pushes it in our backyard, what effects it could have on us. It could be devastating.
THOMAS (on-camera): Of course, any of the seafood caught locally has the potential for being affected by the spilling here. That means about 95 percent of what you see since it's caught in local waters, but what has the most concern is the effect the spill might have on oysters and on the shrimp.
BOYER: Nobody wants tainted shrimp. Nobody wants an oyster that's going to be tainted because the oyster is a natural filter. So, you know, if oil gets up in there, it's going to take on the flavor.
THOMAS (voice-over): There are no reports of any tainted seafood. Boyer says the publicity alone could damage his business.
BOYER: So, the perception of a lot of the seafood is that it might be tainted, whether it is or not. Hopefully, they'll get it cleaned up, get that thing plugged up, get it stopped.
THOMAS: Dan Thomas, Channel 3 news. (END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: All right. So, what went wrong here? Aren't these fail safes on those oil rigs to prevent disasters like what we're seeing in the Gulf of Mexico? BP owns the well, but their chief tells CNN, it's not their fault. They say that Transocean, the rig's operator, is to blame for a faulty blowout preventer. Brett Clanton covers the oil industry for the "The Houston Chronicle."
So, OK, Brett, let's try and break this down, when something like this happens, who is the first person that's supposed to respond? Is it BP?
BRETT CLANTON, OILD AND GAS INDUSTRY REPORTER, HOUSTON CHRONICLE: BP has, as they've reminded us a lot in the last few days, they have responsibility for regaining control of the well and for the cleanup that's taking place on the surface. They have reminded us repeatedly though that they did not own the rig, they did not own the safety equipment. They were not the ones who were physically drilling the well.
So, you're beginning to see BP position itself a little bit more -- to try to get a little bit more distance from this. They say, look, we will handle the cleanup on the surface, which is costing us $6 million, by the way, $6 millions per day. But, there are fail safe mechanisms in here that should have worked to prevent this. Investigations, obviously, are going to have sorted that out in the coming months.
PHILLIPS: OK, but BP and Transocean, they own this together, correct?
CLANTON: Well, it's a little bit more complicated than that. BP owns the offshore lease, the government block of water out there where the well takes place. They own the well. They own the crude in the ground.
PHILLIPS: OK.
CLANTON: But Transocean owns the rig, all the assets, all the hardware out there, if you will.
PHILLIPS: OK, let me stop you there then, you say the hardware. All right. So, then, let's go ahead and bring out this blowout preventer. We actually got a picture of it. It's not the blowout preventer. We actually got this off a website. This is what a blowout preventer looks like. And this is what was supposed to prevent what happened. And this is under the operation of Transocean. So, my question is, do we know if this was being inspected on a regular basis, if they were doing test runs, if that's what you are supposed to do? Do we know for sure if Transocean knew for sure this blowout preventer was in good shape?
CLANTON: They should have. You know, they're doing routine inspections the government requires, routine inspections with these robot submarines that are stationed on the rig. So, they're doing routine inspections of the blowout preventer on the sea floor. But, there are still a lot of questions about why it didn't engage. And if you can imagine, this is a huge piece of equipment down there. There's a lot of redundant safety mechanisms on this thing. So, there should have been warning signs up on the rig when a dangerous spike in pressure was detected.
PHILLIPS: Like censors, right? Censor should have gone off and said, oh-oh, we have an issue and there is a problem here.
CLANTON: Exactly. There's a lot of -- on the rig, they're getting a lot of just real time data about conditions down in the well. So, if there had been a sharp spike in pressure to signal a blowout, there should have been warning signs on the rig floor that would have told operators to engage the blowout preventer.
PHILLIPS: So, there could have been a failure there like a button didn't work or a censor wasn't working or --
CLANTON: Or maybe it wasn't detected. But BP yesterday, again, you heard an official say that the report from the bridge at the time of the accident was before they evacuated the rig. They had tried to engage the block preventer, and it didn't work. So, BP is really focused on what went wrong with this blowout preventer. And you're hearing the government zero in there a little bit. So, I think that's probably going to be, you know, at the center of whatever investigation takes place.
PHILLIPS: Is it possible, does somebody man the blowout preventer? Is it possible that somebody wasn't at the proper post and so if censors were going off, they were off, you know, having a lunch break possibly and didn't see that there was an issue?
CLANTON: That's probably very unlikely. I mean, there's a whole patrol room dedicated to monitoring the blowout preventer. There are people around the clock out there. I've been to offshore rigs to see how this works and the kind of data that they're receiving.
PHILLIPS: You actually went out with Transocean recently, right?
CLANTON: I did, at the end of March.
PHILLIPS: OK.
CLANTON: And you can see just sort of, you know, all the -- how rigorous they are in monitoring all of this data that's coming in all the time. So, it's hard to believe that there weren't some indications, that there weren't warning signs before this happened, which points, you know, more and more back to some kind of mechanical failure with this blowout preventer.
PHILLIPS: Got it. Mechanical failure. All right. Because, you know, there are critics out there saying, oh, you know, you got BP, that, you know, maybe miscalculated, all the U.S. coast guard. Is it possible that it could have miscalculated, but you're talking about really deep, mercy water, a very complex situation. So, is it possible that in addition to a blowout preventer, a technical problem that in addition to that, whether you're the U.S. coast guard or BP and you got all these amazing ROVs and underwater devices, you got such a difficult situation under there that it's hard to react real time?
CLANTON: Yes, and you know, there has been -- you know, the story has changed almost every day. There've been a lot of kind of different numbers about estimating the size of this spill. You know, and some of the third party observers have said, you know, they've been looking at satellite images of this whole spill the last few days and said, there is no way that they could get to these kind of, you know, the 1,000 barrel per day figure that had been used for the last several days.
PHILLIPS: Right. Went into a massive increase.
CLANTON: Exactly. So, some of that is still being sorted out. It's you know, it's hard to say. And no one wants to say if they were deliberately downplaying, you know, the size of this or if there was just a miscalculation, but it is very complex territory they are operating in. A mile below the surface. Very mercy waters and a lot of rubble down there on the sea floor.
PHILLIPS: Sure. And on top of that, the coast guard was desperately trying to find 11 people still alive.
CLANTON: Correct.
PHILLIPS: And we can't forget about those 11 lives that were lost.
All right. Brad Clanton, we will be watching your reports for the Houston Chronicle. You're a terrific journalist. We always appreciate your insight on this. We know you know it well. Thanks so much, Brett.
CLANTON: Thanks, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. Top stories in two minutes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: In Western Kentucky, a grim end to the search for two missing miners. Rescue crews have found the bodies of both men. They were several miles inside the state's largest mine when the roof collapsed. Inspectors had cited the Ticky (ph) Mine for 44 safety violations since January of last year.
There have been some changes to that controversial Arizona immigration law. Just before wrapping up their session last night, state lawmakers agreed to toughen restrictions against using race or ethnicity as the basis for police questioning, but another change would allow officers called the homes on city violations to ask about immigration status. The immigration law takes effect in 90 days.
Staring danger in the face every day. Our service men and women do it all the time. Now, some are being awarded for their bravery. The Air Force has honored 11 airmen from the 22nd special tactic squadron including air force Staff Sergeant Sean Harvel. He was awarded, not one, but two silver stars for combat air control under enemy fire in Afghanistan. Silver star is the military's third highest award for valor. Another airman, Staff Sergeant Evan Jones received a silver star and a bronze medal for his air combat control in fire fights.
A lot of hugs and kisses and, of course, tears. It's tough when loved ones get sent overseas. About 50 members of the South Carolina International Guards, 169 fighter wings, are making history. The unit is sending F-16 fighter jets, pilots and support crews to Southwest Asia to support the military effort in Iraq. It's the first contingent that left yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's going to be really tough, really tough because I've always been there for all my kids, you know, all four of them when they were born. I've never left them.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're proud of him. He's a great dad, and we're just proud of him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A lot of nerves, anxious.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's tough to watch them go. (INAUDIBLE). We always kind of have the same -- always have my live and light on (ph) whenever he goes off. Don't want anything to come between him and I.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: About 300 airmen will be deploying for four months. It's the first time that unit has deployed overseas since 2007.
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PHILLIPS: Rob Marciano, busy day for you, you've got oil slick; you've got weather across the country. What else?
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, some nice weather and some snow as well. But the main concern is the oil slick, number one. But the same winds that are driving this oil slick on shore or at least closer to shore, it'll be onshore shortly that's -- we are pretty confident about that. It's also feeding the severe weather that we expect to see later on today.
South/southeast winds; so everything along the surface of the water including the water itself will be blown onshore over the next 24-48 hours. Also, over the next 24 to 48 hours this same flow will feed moisture and warmth into this system which yesterday spawned some severe weather. But today, I think we'll see a little bit more widespread in that regard.
And then, tomorrow it actually gets down into the mid south and Mississippi and places that were ravaged last -- earlier in the week by the severe weather. On the brighter side the east coast looks fantastic this weekend, 89 degrees in D.C. or northeast I should say and 86 degrees in New York. So the Big Apple getting its first taste of the summertime blues -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right, thanks, are you singing the blues.
MARCIANO: No, I don't know why I said that. It just came out.
PHILLIPS: Ok, we'll queue up the music next time and grab your guitar. Thanks Rob.
Well, we're jumping in well, in the way back machine for today in history we're talking about, April 30th, 1789. George Washington officially took office as the first President of the United States. He took his place in the nation's capital, New York.
In 1803, a bargain with France, the Louisiana Purchase that cost us around $15 million to get more than 800 square miles of territory. It stretched from the mountains of the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains in Canada.
And in 1859, it was the best of times that was the worst of times. Charles Dickens classic novel, "A Tale of Two Cities" first published.
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PHILLIPS: Oh, sure, diamonds are forever, love is not. Just ask this Staten Island woman. She called off her wedding but doesn't want to walk away from the altar empty-handed of course. She wants to keep her $17,000 engagement ring but her former fiance is taking her to court to get it back.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLETTE DIPIERRO, WANTS TO KEEP RING: I thought I was going to marry this person. I thought this was my fairy tale. Honestly, I didn't really do anything wrong here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The engagement ring is not a gift. It's a contract.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's interesting.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, as unromantic as that sounds.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, Colette there says that she wants to hold on to the ring only because her former fiance owes her money. She says she broke off on another engagement a year ago and happily returned that ring.
So, say you did something really bad at work, like download porn, steal money, drop a big pay load of f-bombs at your boss. If you got fired, well, you had it coming. Well, what if you got canned for something that you didn't do but that you might do?
One woman in Connecticut claims that was the basis for her big fat pink slip. What the boss allegedly afraid that she might do? Are you ready for this? That she would get breast cancer. Call the lawyer. Here's Heather Hegedus (ph) from our Hartford affiliate WFSB.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) PAMELA FINK, PLAINTIFF: I have two sisters, both have had breast cancer. Both are healthy. The first was diagnosed at age 37.
HEATHER HEGEDUS, WSSB REPORTER: And Pamela Fink was worried she could be the next after a genetic test found that like her sisters she too, carry the gene that makes her predisposed to breast cancer. So at her doctor's advice --
FINK: I made a personal decision to get a -- or to have a double mastectomy to reduce my risk from basically it was around 80 percent down to less than one percent risk, which is much less than the general public.
HEGEDUS: At the time, Fink was the director of public relations in MX Energy in Stanford. She told her company what was happening. And in October and February of this year she used sick time for the surgeries. Last month, a month after she went back to work, she was fired.
Fink alleges in this complaint MX Energy fired her because management found out she had that breast cancer gene. Although Fink does not have concrete proof, these performance reviews she received before and then after her surgeries tell the story.
FINK: I've been with them for about four years, positive reviews, just a lot of great opportunity, honestly. I went out for my leave and when I came back I just couldn't do anything right.
HEGEDUS: Today, MX energy released this statement, that they quote, "emphatically and categorically deny her allegations". Beyond that, they are not commenting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: You heard, Pamela did have a voluntary double mastectomy so she wouldn't get breast cancer, a decision as painful as it is proactive. But still, good-bye, pink slip.
I really hope this is a bit misunderstanding. We're going to keep our eye on it. This is the first wrongful termination lawsuit, by the way, filed in Connecticut that's based on genetic testing.
The medical frontier of stem cell research; for just a few minutes, put the controversy aside. We're going to tell you about a man who has vowed to spend his final days bringing hope to others. That story is in our next hour.
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