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Oil Spill Close to Coast; Backing the Immigration Law; Pioneering Stem Cell Surgery
Aired April 30, 2010 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Maybe you were there, maybe you saw it on TV as it happened. Maybe you saw it for the first time just recently on the History Channel. This is the fall of Saigon, the end of South Vietnam and the end of the war.
Thirty-five years ago, South Vietnamese desperate to get out before the north army arrived. U.S. Marines evacuating the American embassy right up until the last minute.
Unforgettable scenes that day: a lot of unforgettable scenes from that war, none more so than the infamous girl in the picture. She's now a woman, who's clearly come a long, long way from her bombed out village.
CNN's Brooke Baldwin reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The girl in the picture is Kim Phuc. You may not recognize her now; she became a poster child to the atrocities of war. A horrified little girl running naked after pulling off her burning clothes when her village in Vietnam was napalmed in 1972.
KIM PHUC, GOODWILL AMBASSADOR: I just ran out and 14 months later when I left the hospital, and I came home, my dad showed me that picture. Honestly, I was so shocked.
BALDWIN: Kim spent several years in therapy, enduring operations for the severe burns that covered a third of her body. Now 47, Kim lives in Canada with her husband and two teenage boys.
A U.N. goodwill ambassador, she also helps children in war-torn countries as the head of the Kim Foundation. Recently she accepted an invitation to speak at an Atlanta church.
SENIOR PASTOR SCOTT WEIMER, NORTH AVENUE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH: I could hardly believe that girl in the picture from 1972 was alive and that she was as full of life. The message is one of the most compelling messages of God's love and forgiveness.
BALDWIN: Trying to answer the question, why me, Kim found the bible and at 19 became a Christian.
KIM PHUC, GOODWILL AMBASSADOR: I'm so grateful that God let me be alive and not only be alive with -- and endure with the pain and suffering and hatred and bitterness, but it's just a miracle that I was able to learn and to grow in his love. And that is why I wanted to share my story.
BALDWIN: When people see this picture today, Kim hopes they will not see a child crying out in anguish and fear, but instead a child crying out for peace.
PHUC: I thank God that people can learn from my story and challenge them, yes, that little girl can do it, I can do it, too, try.
BALDWIN: Brooke Baldwin, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: And as we mentioned, this is the 35th anniversary for the fall of Saigon. Were you there? Did you watch it all unfold on television? Tell us about it on my blog, CNN.com/Kyra.
And we're keeping an eye on the White House Rose Garden where President Obama is due to speak later this hour. He's expected to comment on the economy and the latest signs today that the economy is growing stronger.
There have been some changes to that controversial Arizona immigration law. Just before wrapping up the session last night, state lawmakers agreed to toughen restrictions against using race or ethnicity as the basis police questioning. But another change would allow officers called the hones on city ordination violation to ask about immigration status.
The immigration law takes effect in 90 days.
It's crunch time on the Gulf Coast. They've been laying miles of booms in that area trying to stop a massive oil spill from coming ashore. But it's not nearly enough to cover the whole coast.
Efforts to stop the underwater oil leak haven't worked so far and now they are planning to basically put a big box over it so they can suck the oil straight out of the damaged well. The oil already in the water is on the move.
Like we said, it's on Louisiana's doorstep right now. But check this map. It shows when the rest of the Gulf Coast should expect to get mucked up.
CNN's Reynolds Wolf live in Venice, Louisiana right now where they've been working around the clock to try and block that oil slick, right, Reynolds?
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely. You know, we've seen all kinds of trucks, all kinds of teams of people coming through this exact port here in Venice.
And you know, it's people not just from Louisiana, but from across the country that have been really helping out in this effort. But what they've done in the state, of course, is Governor Bobby Jindal yesterday has announced a state of emergency in Louisiana.
They've put out 175,000 feet of this protective barrier that we've been talking about to protect parts of the coastline and not just here in Louisiana but they're expecting to spread this around other parts of the Gulf Coast.
But that's not all they're going to use. They plan on bringing in an additional half a million -- half a million feet of this protected boom just to put out to stop this flow of oil.
You know one of the big things that's really been pushing this has been the strong wind. And of course, the waves that have been rushing towards this region from the south. Yesterday we went out with a crew -- actually went out on a 65-foot boat, went right down through parts of the Mississippi delta, right out into the Gulf of Mexico.
And when we got there, got out of that -- I'd say maybe a mile off the Louisiana coast, ran into water so rough it scared not only our crew but also just terrified the captain and we were forced to turn around.
Here's what the captain had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WOLF: Now what would have happened if we had stayed that course and we kept going? I mean is there a chance we could have gotten knocked around by waves?
MATT CLARK, BOAT CAPTAIN: Well, yes, whenever you turn around, you get in that tide, you could get rolled over.
WOLF: But, you know, this is a big boat. We were talking 65 feet. To most people they'd say this could handle it but --
CLARK: No. Negative. No way.
WOLF What does this say about the guys who are out there? They're trying to contain a lot of this oil. I mean if they're in boats this size, did they have to go back to shore?
CLARK: If they were all boats this size, the most of them (INAUDIBLE). The waves are higher than 10-foot plus. So they could handle it right now.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
WOLF: Kyra, getting video of the waves itself was virtually impossible. I can tell you that it was almost impossible for any of us to stand at that point.
The wind, the waves, so strong, so big at that point it actually knocked off an instrument-like cluster that was right on the panel inside the pilot house.
Steve Stewart, our photojournalist, unable to maintain footing, same story with me, our producer John (INAUDIBLE) was also on the boat. It was just a -- it was terrifying situation.
But the reason why this is important, it gives you an idea of the sheer violence of that water, and it's coming out from the -- not only from the Mississippi, but how it's clashing with that water coming in from the gulf.
Everything being pushed north by the strong winds. The reason why we mentioned that is because some of those strong winds and the strong current that are pushing the oil ever closer to land, the environmentally-sensitive areas.
And right to my back, a little bit farther to the south, we have the Delta National Wildlife Refuge. It's home to some 400 different species of protected and endangered animals. But that's not the only one. They're not -- and others that are scattered through parts of Louisiana and back into Mississippi. All vulnerable to this oil as it continues to move northward.
Let's send it back to you.
PHILLIPS: All right. Thanks so much, Reynolds.
Well, you can already see the pictures in your mind. Oily birds, oily beaches, but it's the impact under water that may be the biggest blow from this oil spill.
CNN's Richard Lui is actually live on Dauphin Island in Alabama this morning.
Richard, what are you finding out from there?
RICHARD LUI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, as we talk to people here, Kyra, we're finding that folks are, of course, very resilient here on the Gulf Coast. They've gone through so many hurricanes. We've got Katrina, we've got Gustav, we've got Ivan.
And so when we start talking about the future, they're saying, we're used to that. We're used to being challenged by Mother Nature. But this time it's a little bit different. We spoke with one oyster shucker who's been doing for four years and he questioned what might be happening next.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIE BROWN, OYSTER SHUCKER: We've never had anything like this before. It's the first time we ever had -- I had never thought about this being oil, at least. You always thought about hurricanes.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
LUI: Yes. And, you know, Kyra, what they're used to is seeing that. They're so used to seeing rigs. They're used to seeing nice waters, being able to go out and fish whenever they want. Beaches with rocks and break waters around.
But for some now, they question what's going to be happening in the next couple of days. One fisherman we had the opportunity to speak with told us he thought this might be the last time that he goes out to go fishing.
Let's listen to Bob Abruscato.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOB ABRUSCATO, GULF COAST FISHERMAN: I never took any fish that I ever caught for granted. I tried not to but these last couple of days -- you know, just have to enjoy every one of them now.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
LUI: You know, Bob Abruscato even got in his boat, went out to what he was telling me was his favorite cove and I asked him, you know, what are you going to think as you go for this last trip? And he said, I don't know. I'm kind of scared. It's what I've been doing for the last 30 years.
And so you can see sort of the dynamics that locals are going through as they sort of, you know, think about what might be next.
And you know, Kyra, I was thinking about what that might mean for us and I guess for you and me if you're like, all of a sudden, if cable TV or television just disappeared tomorrow, what would we do?
PHILLIPS: Yes, we don't want to think about that. That's all we know, right?
LUI: No, we don't. Yes.
PHILLIPS: We've spent our whole career working on that.
LUI: Right.
PHILLIPS: Well, you know, what's interesting, as Rob Marciano was saying, it is one of those things where you never know. It could be not as bad as we think. It could not reach certain areas. So we're all keeping our fingers crossed because there are so many livelihoods at stake because of this, Richard.
LUI: That's right. And you know they are locals when we asked them that question. There's one half that says, yes, let's take it day by day. We don't know what's going to happen, we're used to these sorts of environments, so we'll just be glad for what we have tomorrow.
But then there's the other side that might say, are they aware of what the danger is based on the information that's coming in. They're all models, sure enough, but that potential is still there. And that -- those are the two sides, really, in terms of what you're saying with locals and how they're dealing with it personally.
PHILLIPS: Richard Lui, live in Dauphin Island, Alabama. Thanks so much, Richard.
Rob?
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Kyra, we are watching the movement of the slick and it is on the move now with that southerly wind that's not really going to change direction in the near future.
We'll talk about the forecast for that plus your weekend ahead when the CNN NEWSROOM returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Singer Shakira getting vocal about Arizona's new immigration law. Yesterday she actually met with the mayor of Phoenix to find out more about the law which makes it a state crime to be in the U.S. illegally.
Now Shakira says she's worried about how it may impact hard- working Latino families. She also talked about it last night with CNN's Sanjay Gupta who is sitting in on "ANDERSON 360."
Here's what she said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHAKIRA, GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING SINGER: The mayor is very, very worried, as well as the chief of police here, Chief Harris. They're both very worried on the impact that the implementation of this law will have on the Latino families.
The level of abuse that will be inflicted on Latinos with or without papers. You know if this law was already in effect today, for example, I could be detained and arrested and taken away because I don't even have my driver's license here. I mean, I'm completely undocumented here today. So it is really --
(CROSSTALK)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: So you didn't bring your papers to Arizona?
SHAKIRA: I didn't. No.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: If she is arrested, she'd have quite a hit single on her hands.
Well, go into a big city in Arizona and you're likely to see plenty of opposition to the immigration law. But go outside, especially along the routes used by smugglers and you're going to find strong support for a crackdown.
That's where we find Casey Wian.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As a normal citizen, what do we do? What do we do besides sitting here, you know, worried and wondering and frustrated?
CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At a town hall meeting with U.S. senator John McCain and local police chiefs, one resident addressed the violence from smuggling of illegal immigrants and drugs by proposing a violent solution of his own.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shoot, shuttle, shut up. These people aren't herded up like cows and horses and driven across the border. They know what they're doing. And they know where they're going. They pay good money to do it.
Why don't we make a few examples and maybe the rest of them will get the idea that, hey, them son of bitches shoot back.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: I understand your passion, but that's not, I think, frankly in the tradition of America.
WIAN: Casa Grande is the largest city in Pinal County, Arizona. It's more than 100 miles from the Mexican border. Yet the sheriff here estimates 80 percent of the illegal immigrants who enter the United States in Arizona pass through Pinal County.
In one month, sheriff's deputies were involved in 64 high speed pursuits with suspected smugglers of illegal immigrants or drugs.
SHERIFF PAUL BABEU, PINAL COUNTY, ARIZONA: We've seen the tactics changed just over the last couple of months here and it's becoming increasingly dangerous.
WIAN: Sheriff Paul Babeu has become the voice of the county's exasperated residents at the state capital.
BABEU: Everybody across America is watching Arizona right now and we live in this. And the violence is off the chart.
WIAN: At the nation's capital --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wouldn't dare speak for anybody else, but most of us in law enforcement welcome this legislation.
BABEU: This is fantastic. I am going to stay.
WIAN: And at the local VFW hall where he's treated like a celebrity.
BABEU: I love you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What part of illegal don't they understand?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I liked you when I first saw you.
BABEU: Well, thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I even like you more now.
WIAN: Babeu and others here say Arizona's new law is the natural reaction to what they consider the federal government's failure to secure the nation's borders and solve its illegal immigration crisis.
(On camera): Babeu says he is not focused on the politics of illegal immigration. His main concern is the safety of the county's residents and of his deputies. That safety is being compromised every day by smugglers.
Case Wian, CNN, Casa Grande, Arizona.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: And as you know, it's 90 days from today when that law will take effect.
We'll have more from the Severe Weather Center. We're following the oil slick for you and the effects that it's having on the various coast.
Actually, Rob Marciano, are you almost ready? All right, he's putting batteries into his mike. Full disclosure here.
Rob Marciano is going to come up and tell us what's the latest -- are you with me, Rob? Outstanding.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: You know, we've got to have full audio here.
MARCIANO: Well, that would help, you know?
PHILLIPS: Yes. All right. So I was trying to -- OK, I see where you are. You're talking about -- what do we got?
(CROSSTALK)
MARCIANO: Yes, we're going to start with --
PHILLIPS: What are the threats were? A severe weather? No, you've got the oil slick.
MARCIANO: With the oil slick.
PHILLIPS: OK.
MARCIANO: And then -- because it's all connected, which driving the oil slick o shore is what's going to feed the severe weather that you spoke of.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MARCIANO: Oh, goodness, we have -- they're running for the roses this weekend, aren't they?
(LAUGHTER)
MARCIANO: My goodness. I just realized that.
PHILLIPS: Kentucky derby.
MARCIANO: And I don't have a detailed forecast. But I'm a little bit nervous about it. I've got to be honest with you.
PHILLIPS: You didn't buy your big hat and sit ringside with your mint juleps?
MARCIANO: I sat on it.
(LAUGHTER)
MARCIANO: That hat, I guess.
PHILLIPS: You've always got the best come back, Rob. Marciano, I love you. All right, who are you betting on?
MARCIANO: The fastest horse. That's where I put all of my money.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: Yes. You always got --
MARCIANO: I have no idea who's running. It just took me by surprise. It's a right passage of spring and I forgot all about it.
PHILLIPS: Yes. Well, get us the update and come back with more.
MARCIANO: All right. I'll take a look at the sheets.
PHILLIPS: Thanks, pal.
Miles underground, hope runs out in a Kentucky coalmine. We're going to have the sad details, unfortunately. The search for those missing miners did not go so well.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: A massive oil slick is closing in on the Louisiana coast right now bringing thousands of gallons of light sweet crude in the protected wetlands and fragile fishing areas.
Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal has already declared a state of emergency. President Obama will address the situation in just a few minutes from the Rose Garden. We'll bring you that live.
Moreover Delta, you're not longer going to be the big kid on the block. "The Wall Street Journal" is reporting that Continental and United are near a merger deal. Talks are set for this weekend with a possible announcement on Monday.
The combined carriers would become the world's largest airline. Caveat here, though, the deal could still fall through like in 2008 when Continental left United at the altar.
In western Kentucky, the grim end to that search for two missing miners. Rescue crews have found the bodies of those men. They were several miles inside the state's largest mine when the roof collapsed. State inspectors had been cited the Dotiki mine for 44 safety violations since January of last year.
On the medical cutting edge. A first of its kind clinical trial using stem cells. We're there with the surgeons and the patient as they move ahead for the greater good.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, a drunk guy's headache wasn't just from his hangover.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) with that. Put it back up there. Pick it up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just beat me.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: In case you're wondering, what was blurred out, he flipped the cop's cuff. Didn't Daddy Davis slap guys like that in the old movies?
Welcome to the jail in Akron, Ohio. Drunk guy was playing with a fingerprint reader. The deputy says put it down. Drunk guy gives deputy the finger and deputy gives drunk guy the smackdown.
The deputy is a vet who served overseas but his boss didn't excuse the behavior.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIEF DEPUTY GARRY MONEYPENNY, SUMMIT CO., OHIO SHERIFF'S OFFICE: The deputy back handed the prisoner, assaulting him which was completely against what our rules and regulations and policy procedures. Did two tours of duty, one in Afghanistan, also one in Iraq.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: I'm sorry. The deputy was suspended for 10 days and agreed to get some counseling. This was the third time he's done something like this. Drunk guy admitted he wasn't really hurt but he's still suing the deputy and the department.
The promise of stem cells. We've heard the possibilities and the controversy, but now a first of its kind clinical trial is under way.
CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta takes us along for an exclusive look at that surgery and the patient who's doing it to help others.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA (voice-over): John Cornick has a terrible illness for which there is no cure.
Can you imagine hearing this from your surgeon?
DR. NICHOLAS BOULIS, EMORY UNIVERSITY NEUROSURGEON: I don't honestly think that this is going to make you better.
JOHN CORNICK, ALS STEM CELL TRIAL PARTICIPANT: Right.
BOULIS: Which means that the reason that you're doing this is to help other people.
CORNICK: Right.
BOULIS: Right.
CORNICK: I'm right (INAUDIBLE)
BOULIS: And, you know, you have all of my admiration and respect for being willing to do this for the greater good.
GUPTA: The greater good. You see, John has volunteered to be one of the first people in the United States to participate in an operation to inject stem cells directly into his spine.
It's called a phase one clinical trial. This is the first step. No one knows what will happen.
Here's how John got to this place.
CORNICK: A few years ago I was running. And playing golf.
GUPTA: And then gradually, literally, he began to lose it.
CORNICK: Started tripping and kind of -- sounds like foot drop and started catching my foot on bricks and curbs and started losing my balance initially and then developed a limp in my right leg.
I've lost the dexterity where you can't button buttons, can't tie shoes. I can kick a little bit but I can't really pick my legs up.
GUPTA: John Cornick has ALS, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, better known as Lou Gehrig's disease.
The nerve cells in the spine and the brains which control muscle movement destroyed. When the brain can no longer tell the muscles to move, those muscles wither away. Eventually the diaphragm as well which pulls and pushes air into the lungs.
Think about that. The brain is fine but you simply cannot breathe.
John knows there is no cure for ALS, and so does his wife and his two daughters.
CORNICK: My first thoughts were, I hated for my girls to see me go through this.
GUPTA (on camera): So today is a historic day. What we're going to see is the first FDA approved clinical trial for fetal stem cells in adults. It's remarkable. Obviously a lot of issues here.
(Voice-over): Dr. Eva Feldman developed the trial.
DR. EVA FELDMAN, UNIV. OF MICHIGAN NEUROLOGIST: When we inject stem cells in the spinal cord, the stem cells surround those large nerve cells and allow those nerve cells to actually become less diseased. In fact the stem cells begin to look healthy.
GUPTA (on camera): That's worth pointing out that John is going into the operating room. Just how important today is. The question they're really trying to answer, the most important question at this point, is -- are these cells safe? Is anything bad going to happen as a result of this operation?
(Voice-over): Getting stem cells into John's spinal cord is not easy. It took this surgeon -- Dr. Nick Boulis -- years to design this special platform to stabilize the needle that delivers the stem cells into the spinal cord. This is a huge breakthrough.
(On camera): One thing that's critical, in my opinion is, that the injection be done in a very slow and controlled fashion.
(Voice-over): The entire operation would last 4.5 hours. John is given five injections, each one about 10 microliters of stem cell. Tiny, tiny drops.
BOULIS: That's it. We're done.
GUPTA: A week after the operation, John says he's feeling amazingly well.
(On camera): Psychologically, I mean, just knowing you have these stem cells now in your body, in your spinal cord, how about that mentally? How are you feeling?
CORNICK: Again, I don't know what to expect and I don't feel like there's anything going on in my body that's, you know, transforming anything. You know, you just don't feel any effects from them.
But I do feel like I'm gaining strength every day. I get to the point that I can physically take my shirt off myself. I'm fighting for those little battles, to win those little battles psychologically.
And the more of those I win, the better I'm going to feel about it and I'm going to say, these (INAUDIBLE) on things are working. Whether or not it's just my mind over defeating the disease for one day or whether or not it's the stem cells working some magic.
GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Sanjay Gupta will be following John Cornick's progress throughout that clinical trial and he'll bring us plenty of updates along the way.
Also don't miss a special edition of "SANJAY GUPTA MD." Dr. Gupta introduces us to a best-selling author who was diagnosed with a vicious form of cancer thought only of his young daughters.
What he created will inspire you. Dr. Gupta shows us what a council of dads does. This Sunday on "SANJAY GUPTA, M.D."
Trying to get a massive oil spill under control, President Obama has promised all available resources. That includes the military. But what's the primary mission?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Teachers out of the classrooms and into the streets. They're protesting in Greece over workplace changes due to the country's debt crisis. As you can see, push came to shove with riot police, and they actually turned hoses on the teachers.
Even more grumbling over jobs in Spain. There aren't enough of them. The unemployment rate there 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 destruction boom that had fueled years of growth.
And it's the sure sign yet that the economy is recovering. The national's gross domestic product expanded again in the first quarter. Stephanie Elam in New York with more. Hey, Steph.
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kyra. This is a good thing that we want to see, obviously. It's an early preview of the gross domestic product numbers, and will be revised two more times before we have the final number.
But it's a good sign that the recovery does continue. The Commerce Department says that the country's gross domestic product grew at 3.2 percent annual rate in the first three months of this year. That's just about what analysts were looking for, and it marks the fourth quarter of growth in a row.
The improvements were driven largely by consumer spending. People are getting out there, feeling more comfortable about opening up their wallets and spending again. So, that's a good sign.
It's also all but confirming the view of many economists out there that the recession likely ended at some point last year.
With all of that good news, investors are having a less than enthusiastic reaction right now. The Dow is on the down side right now by 27 point, 11,140. We need to tack on about 37 points to end with a winning streak for the week, and that would put us to nine weeks in a row with gains. NASDAQ up 12 - I'm sorry -- down 12 points at 2,499. And energy and financial stocks are leading the decline right now, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: So the fact that consumer spending was such a big part of this report is a huge deal?
ELAM: Yes. That's something that we always look for. We say it over and over again. It's really important for the American consumer to get out there and spur any type of recovery since they account for more than two-thirds of economic growth. So, the fact that spending by consumers accelerated in the first quarter says a lot.
Analysts believe that shoppers will play a key role in created a more sustained recovery for the U.S. The hope being that demand goods and services will prompt companies to do more hiring, and in turn power the economy back into health. Which, you know, we like good health. That's a good thing. Kyra?
PHLLIPS: Amen. Especially right now when you've got a little Simone percolating inside.
ELAM: Yes, we need to be healthy at all times. That's right.
PHILLIPS: Nice big hamburger right after the show. Thanks, Steph.
(LAUGHTER)
ELAM: Yes There you go.
PHILLIPS: All right. In just a few minutes, President Obama is scheduled to make a Rose Garden statement, giving his opinion on whether the economic recovery is on track and updating us on the oil spill in the Gulf. We'll take you there live when it happens.
And it's crunch time in the Gulf. They've been laying miles of booms in the area, trying to stop a massive oil spill from coming ashore. But it's not nearly enough to cover the whole coast. Efforts to stop the underwater oil leak haven't worked so far.
Now they are planning to basically put a big box over it, so they can suck the oil straight out of the damaged well. The oil already in the water, is on the move, and like we said it's on Louisiana's doorstep right now. But check this map. It shows when the rest of the Gulf coast should expect to get a little mucked up.
The Coast Guard has been on the scene since, well, since day one. And now the military is ready to take action. Offered up by President Obama to aid cleanup efforts.
CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr is joining us now. So, Barbara, is this Obama's Katrina?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, yes, Kyra, that's the question that everybody has now. I'm sorry. We're having a technical problem with my sound.
But is it Obama's Katrina? Is the military being delayed in getting to the scene? I think it's worth remembering in this country, the military does not really deploy to the United States unless they have orders to do so. That has to come from the civilian agencies like from the Coast Guard, from the White House, saying that there needs to be help. And the fact that they are talking about military help means that this is now beyond the scope of the states and those civilian agencies.
So, what are we seeing happening here? What are we seeing unfold? The Air Force already has a couple of C-130s in Mississippi capable of dropping that oil retardant, oil dispersing chemical substance on the spill. We are seeing the Navy move in with miles of that boom material that they are going to lay on the water. The military talking about trying to be ready to help clean up if an oil spill disaster emerges on shore.
Governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana telling Defense Secretary Gates he wants to activate 6,000 Louisiana National Guard to be ready onshore under his state authority to help with the cleanup and also protect vital facilities from any oil damage. Hospitals, power plants, highways, that sort of thing.
So, everybody is laying the groundwork to get read. The White House is obviously very strongly pushing back at any notion that they are delaying the federal response and any federal help for this, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: We are definitely going to follow any efforts. Barbara, keep us updated.
And starting danger in the face every day, our service men and women do it all the time. And now some are being awarded for their bravery. The Air Force has honored 11 airmen from the 22nd Special Tactics Squadron, including Air Force staff sergeant Shawn Harvell. He was awarded not one but two Silver Stars for combat air control while under enemy fire in Afghanistan. The Silver Star is the military's third highest award for valor, by the way.
Another airman, Staff Sergeant Evan Jones received a Silver Star and a bronze medal for his air combt control in firefights.
A lot of hugs and kisses and tears. It's tough when loved ones get sent overseas. About 50 members of the South Carolina Air National Guard 169th fighter wing are making history now. That unit is sending F-16 fighter jets, pilots and support crews to southwest Asia to support the military effort in Iraq. The first contingent left yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's going to be really tough. I've always been there for all of my kids, all four of them were born. I've never left them.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're proud of him. He's a great dad. And - just proud of him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A lot of nerves, uncertainty. Anxious.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's tough to watch him go. He's grown into a man. We've always kind of had the -- I've told him to leave the light on when he goes off. It's something between him and I.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: In all, about 300 airmen will be deploying for four months. It's the first time the unit has deployed overseas since 2007. We wish them well.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
PHILLIPS: Well, this is one of those stories where you don't know whether to laugh or cry. Heck, I guess you can just do both. It's okay.
An Oregon man who should have his whole life ahead of him has just three months, and he wants to make sure that his future widow won't inherit a big debt. So, he's found a unique solution. Anita Kissie (ph) from our affiliate KETU in Portland shows us how cancer couldn't touch this guy's sense of humor.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANITA KISSIE (ph), KETU-TV CORRESPONDENT: Most people would never show off their urn, let alone three.
AARON JAMISON, DYING OF CANCER: I'm 400 pounds, so there's enough ashes to go around.
KISSIE: Aaron Jamison's humor and contagious smile masks the reality: he's dying.
JAMISON: I found out that I have cancer about a year ago.
JAMISON: Not wanting to leave his wife with bills, this comedian conjured up an idea. His cremated, sponsored with the ads on his urn.
KRISTIN JAMISON, WIFE: I thought it was absolutely tacky. But he kept talking about it. The more I thought about it, the more I realized it's his personality.
A. JAMISON: I wouldn't say she said yes, but she agreed to let happen.
KISSIE: Sixteen companies bought ad space.
A. JAMISON: It's a huge list. I can't remember. I blame it on chemo, and no one should sue me.
KISSIE: But for this dog lover, who even has a tattoo of his, two ads by the animal rights group PETA stand out. One against dog breeders, another blasting KFC with the line, "I'd kick the bucket. Have you?"
A. JAMISON: It's hilarious. In the end, I wonder, what the heck.
KISSIE: Aaron will hand-paint the ads on these urns. One for his best friend, his parents, and his wife, Kristen. There's room for more. But this offer now over. Aaron's funeral sooner than anyone expected.
A. JAMISON: I had an MRI on Monday to tell me whether it was going to be three months or nine months. And it's going to be three. So we found that -- sorry.
KRISTIN JAMISON, WIFE: Just the fact that he came up with this idea to take care of me -- that means a lot, that he doesn't want to leave me with that.
A. JAMISON: If it's possible to miss anybody in heaven, I'm going to miss my family. I'm going to miss my dog, and I'm going to miss my wife.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Whew! Get this. Those urns will be on turntables, spinning around at his funeral.
Checking our top stories.
A massive oil slick is closing in on the Louisiana coast right now, bringing in thousands of gallons of light, sweet crude into protected wetlands and fragile fishing areas. Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal has declared a state of emergency, and at 2:30 p.m. Eastern they will be joined by federal and state officials to discuss the latest relief efforts. We'll bring it to you live.
Move over, Delta. You're no longer going to be the kid on the block. "Wall Street Journal" reports Continental and United near a merger deal. Talks are set for this weekend with a possible announcement Monday. Combined carriers would become the world's largest airline. And a caveat here: the deal could still fall through. Like in 2008, when Continental left United at the alter.
And there's 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. Another change would allow officers called to homes on city ordinance violations to ask about immigration status. The immigration law takes effect in 90 days.
This issue definitely makes us angry, it makes us sad, and, yes, when it comes to late night shows, it can even make us laugh.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DAVID LETTERMAN, LATE NIGHT TV HOST: Anybody here from Arizona?
(CHEERS)
Uh-huh. Okay.
(LAUGHTER)
LETTERMAN: They have this immigration law, and here's the best I can understand it now. If you don't look like you belong where you are, they can arrest you.
(LAUGHTER0
You know what I'm saying? You don't look like you -- get out of here.
They are serious about it. The Chamber of Commerce has put up brand new signs. "Welcome to Arizona. Now get out." A lot of sensitivity about this law. People saying that it's aimed at Mexicans because they are south of the border. And the Arizona says, 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 VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Straight ahead, the nation's top diplomat being anything but diplomatic. We're going to tell you what Hillary Clinton has to say to Iran's president just days before he arrives in the U.S.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Now, just days before Iran's president visits the U.S., Hillary Clinton is lashing out at his regime. The secretary of state was speaking before the American Jewish Committee last night when she condemned Iran in some of her strongest words yet. She says President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is anti-Semetic and his country is a sponsor of terrorism.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: If President Ahmadinejad wants to come and announce that Iran will abide by their nonproliferation requirements under the MPT, that would be very good news indeed. And we would welcome that.
But if he believes that by coming, he can somehow divert attention from this very important global effort or cause confusion that might possibly throw into doubt what Iran has been up to, about which I don't think there is any room for doubt. Then I don't believe he will have a particularly receptive audience.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Now, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is due in New York next week for a United Nations conference.
A California congressman goes to a Tea Party rally and runs head- on into the Constitution.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: So who is a better listener? Your husband, your wife, your pet? I always pick the pets, and that seems to be just about right. In a new study, one-third of women say that their pets are better listeners than their husband. And it doesn't seem to matter what breed -- of animal, not husband. Dogs, cats, even horses get high marks. Eighteen percent of men choose pets but they were not really listening, but it's possible that they weren't really paying attention when that question was being asked.
So, Duncan Hunter III, congressman from California. Talking at a Tea Party meeting near San Diego. Doing a little Q&A when the hot- button issue of the month comes up: illegal immigration. Listen to the question and then his answer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Congressman, would you support deportation of natural-born American citizens that are the children of illegal aliens?
DUNCAN HUNTER III (R), CALIFORNIA: Would I support the deportation of natural-born citizens that are illegal citizens? Kids of illegal aliens?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
HUNTER: I would have to, yes.
(APPLAUSE)
HUNTER: And let me tell you why. This is a complex issue and it's -- you know, you can look and say, "you're a mean guy. You know, that's a mean thing to do. That's not a humanitarian thing to do." We simply cannot afford what we're doing right now. We just can't afford it.
California is going under. (INAUDIBLE) -- $30 billion, at least (INAUDIBLE) said $10 billion - it's between $10 billion and $20 billion in this state that we spend on illegal immigration. That's health services, that's education, and jails. We just can't afford it anymore. That's it.
And we're not being mean. We're just saying, it takes more than walking across the border to become an American citizen. It's within our souls, not just walking across the borders.
(END VIDEO CLIP) PHILLIPS: All right. So, now we know what color are souls are. Red, white, and blue. Just one sticking point with Mr. Hunter's answer. The 14th Amendment says that all people born or naturalized in the U.S. are citizens. We're going to try and talk more about this next week, ask him how he reconciles his position with the Constitution.
Coming up in the next hour of NEWSROOM, Gulf Coast seafood shipped all across the country. We're going to take a look at how one New York market is making backup plans to serve its customers.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: All right, I'm going to tell you right now, this story from Jeanne Moos is not for the squeamish. It's about a viewing at a funeral home like none you've ever seen. It's almost something you'd expect more from a taxidermist than a mortician.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It looks like a normal shot of a guy on a motorcycle, but look at the looks he gets.
MOOS (on-camera): He is dead.
Can you explain, it's his funeral, and he is the deceased.
MOOS (voice-over): In the funeral business, they call this an unusual postmortem display but in plain language --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He is dead.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He is dead.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, they embalmed his body and put him on a motorcycle?
MOOS: Yep.
He is 22-year-old, David Morales Cologne (ph), killed in a shooting. His uncle gave him the bike as a gift and the family asked this funeral home in San Juan, Puerto Rico, to pose him for the viewing. The owner of Marine Funeral Homes says it takes special skill.
VOICE OF DEMARIS MARIN, FUNERAL HOME OWNER: Embalming is the key. It's a professional secret.
MOOS (on-camera): The tricky part is to make the body rigid enough to pose yet not too rigid to put back in a coffin for burial.
MOOS (voice-over): And he was buried in a coffin, as required by law.
MOOS (on-camera): What did they do with the motorcycle? MARIN: They take the motorcycle back to the house.
MOOS (voice-over): The video was rocketing around the web, with titles like "Dead Man Riding" or "Dead Man Standing." The same funeral home did this once before because the young man who died had told his family he wanted to be happy and standing at his own funeral.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What would I pose myself doing?
MOOS: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Plain in a casket.
MOOS: The funeral homeowner said reactions to this postmortem display were divided.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wow.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whoa.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's gross.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Creepy is an understatement.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Crazy, crazy to see him on that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's fantastic. He got what he wanted.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good for him. God bless his soul.
MOOS: There are lots of colorful ways to leave this world. Craftsmen in Ghana are famous for the so-called fantasy coffins, shaped like shoes or cell phones or soft drinks. Eternal fizz. And a British company called crazy coffins will send you off in anything from a guitar to a corkscrew, for folks who feel --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want to celebrate my life the way I lived it, the way that I want to be remembered.
MOOS: For instance, in a 1913 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost for 8,000 bucks. Some, like the members of this London band --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One, two, three --
MOOS: Can't imagine posing at their own funerals. While others just turn tail and run. This guy's dead. Posed him.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm going to be late, I'm so sorry. I apologize.
MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
Freaked her out.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: So, Tony, how do you want to be embalmed?
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: I'm still living. I haven't created the image in my head in my life yet. I'm still working that out.
PHILLIPS: What's the saying? Martini in one hand, chocolate in the other, and you're saying, woo-hoo, what a ride.
HARRIS: What a ride. My goodness.
Kyra, have a great weekend.
PHILLIPS: All right. You too.
HARRIS: What a way to leave us, so to speak.
