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Obama Speaks About Oil Spill; Update on NY Bomb Scare

Aired May 02, 2010 - 16:08   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: All right. New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly there, describing what they know and what they're ready to reveal to the public about who may be responsible for that car bomb in Times Square, and some of the components of that car bomb and what has been discovered. They are going to continue to look through surveillance video from 82 cameras in the area of that 45th street location where that car bomb was discovered last night in the 6:00 Eastern hour.

Thanks to some vendor who noticed some smoking coming from this vehicle and flashers going off, and the commissioner described it, "they have a vague description now of the person who may have left this vehicle. White male in his 40s." They say there is surveillance tape of this person taking off a dark shirt and then revealing a red one underneath.

And the commissioner also said that they just might be revealing to the public that video and perhaps that will help them pinpoint who this person is. They're also going to be heading to Pennsylvania because there was a tourist who says he was in the area last night and he was taking video, pictures, and he thinks, this tourist, I'm saying he only because the commissioner did, believes that they may have gotten the face of possibly a suspect from this incident on camera.

New York PD heading to that location to look at that image. There has been no claim of responsibility that police are taking seriously at this point. And the commissioner also went into great length describing what was located in this vehicle as they've tried to discern the components being used here. He described a 55-inch long gun locker and in it a bird's nest of wires and a pressure cooker like pot. Also that there was some fertilizer-like material in that gun locker.

He described that this locker was in the rear of this dark green Pathfinder that has since been confiscated and they continue to look even further trying to lift any kind of fingerprints, still trying to learn a little bit more, and also looking for hair or perhaps even fibers. Any kind of forensic material to help them pinpoint who is responsible.

He also said that the propane tanks in this vehicle were that similar to what are used in many backyard barbecues. Gasoline containers also and two clocks which were wired together on the backseat of the vehicle and connected to this gun locker. Pretty fascinating information. But the police commissioner also still saying that they are hoping to rely on any kind of help from the public. If anyone was in the area, thinks they saw something, someone, leaving this vehicle, they are looking for the public's assistance in all of this. And even issued a phone number for any kind of tip information that anyone in the area may have. 1-800-577-TIPS. That from the police commissioner.

And you continue to see the images here on the right-hand side of your screen. The vehicle that was being towed away in the 6:00 a.m. Eastern hour this morning, some 12 hours after the discovery was made that this abandoned vehicle that was left running with the flashers on was smoldering and thanks to the vigilance of some vendor who then alerted mounted police, police were able to descend on this car bomb, discover that it was, indeed, an active car bomb loaded with all kinds of components to potentially explode and potentially harm a lot of people.

On the phone with us, I understand, we have a bomb expert who's retired from the alcohol, tobacco and firearms, Jim Cavanaugh. Jim, are you with me now on the phone?

JIM CAVANAUGH: Yes, Fredricka. Hello?

WHITFIELD: All right. It looks like he is not there. But when we are able to re-establish a contact with him we'll try to find out from him what he discerned from the information coming from the police commissioner Ray Kelly. We're going to take a short break right now and we'll have much more from the NEWSROOM right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Back now in the NEWSROOM here in Atlanta. Some extraordinary information coming from the New York police commissioner Ray Kelly just moments ago describing what more they know about the vehicle that was abandoned in New York's Times Square, with bomb material in it. It has been confiscated. They continue to examine it, that vehicle, along with examining more than 80 surveillance camera video from that area, trying to learn a little bit more, as much as they can about the person or persons responsible for leaving that vehicle running and leaving it loaded with explosives.

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly just moments ago, on the line with us now. We're going to try this one more time. Looks like we were having a little audio problem at least on my end. Retired from the alcohol, tobacco and firearms, bomb expert Jim Cavanaugh joining us from Nashville.

All right. Jim, hopefully you were able to hear much of what the commissioner said, Commissioner Kelly had to say. Pretty extraordinary that this vehicle, even though we heard from Mayor Bloomberg earlier today describing this bomb to be rather amateurish, just listening to the details of the bomb material left in this vehicle, it sounds like while a lot of it may be kind of laymen material, fairly sophisticated to put all of this material in this vehicle and potentially cause a lot of harm?

All right. Would Mr. Jim Cavanaugh be there and I'm the only one who can't hear him? All right. Looks like we do not have him. Yes, Jim. All right. It looks like we do not have him. OK. We're going to try that one more time, perhaps. Meantime, we think CNN's Mary Snow can hear us in Times Square where sort of it has resumed to normal there in the area.

Mary, perhaps people are still filing out just to see what they can see, any remnants of that car bomb from last night. But it, to you, looks like it's just kind of normal there, right?

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It certainly does, Fredricka. I wanted to pick up on the point that you were just making about potential harm. The police commissioner was asked about that, what would have happened had these devices been ignited. And he said that he believed it would cause a significant fireball and casualties. He says that clearly the intent here was to cause mayhem and to cause casualties.

And as you've been reporting, probably the most startling finding of what the police commissioner had just detailed was that gun locker box that was described as looking like a gun locker, describing in detail what investigators have found so far, saying there were at least eight bags of what he says looks like fertilizer.

The Department of Environmental Protection is now being brought in to determine exactly what that material was. Also, you mentioned that the wires that were found and alarm clocks, two yellow alarm clocks that were found near those devices. As far as a motive, the police commissioner did say that some claims of responsibility, he did say that there was no evidence to back them up.

And in that news conference, he shot down - he said there was no evidence of any kind of Taliban link to this. Police in New York City, a New York City Police Officers, are going to be questioning a Pennsylvania tourist who has video that, perhaps, could prove useful to investigators.

And as you've been reporting, the police commissioner did say that there was a man, a white man, who was spotted on surveillance tape that was near that car who had changed his shirt about halfway -- a half block away from where that car was left. A dark shirt into a red shirt. He said it could be entirely coincidental, but that is something that investigators are keying in on. Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: And Mary, the commissioner also saying that they did want to look into Pennsylvania person who says they were in the New York area last night. They took some images and they feel pretty confident that these images just might include that suspect?

SNOW: Absolutely. And they're asking the public to come forward. Now the police have been combing through surveillance tapes. He said there are about 30 or so surveillance cameras in an area that they've been looking at. And the vehicle, he said, was spotted a few minutes before a t-shirt vendor had alerted police, saying that he saw smoke coming out of that vehicle. So certainly the police surveillance cameras. They're also going to be looking at businesses that have surveillance cameras. But certainly tourists.

And of course, everybody has cameras coming into especially Times Square. Taking pictures of everything. And they're really are hoping that people will come forward.

WHITFIELD: Well, it is extraordinary that throughout this investigation, really underscored is the cooperation of so many people, the vigilantes, when someone thinks something is strange, it has now produced itself into this kind of huge investigation. Thanks to those vendors that saw something awry, went straight to the mounted police.

And now you've got this investigation that is unfurling here. And very quickly we're learning of new details of how it is progressing. Thanks so much, Mary Snow. Appreciate that.

I think we're going to try this one more time. Third time's a charm, perhaps, with this bomb expert, Jim Cavanaugh, who is on the phone with us from Nashville. Jim, can you hear me?

CAVANAUGH: Yes, Fredricka. Thank you.

WHITFIELD: OK. Very good. Well, tell me when you gleaned from this information from the commissioner? Everything from the mini bags of fertilizer to the two clocks that were wired together and wired connected to this gun box, what does this tell you about the sophistication or lack thereof of this bomb?

CAVANAUGH: I think it changes the face of the bomb from what we heard last night on the news reports where it was mainly going to be an incendiary event. Now when you have eight bags of possibly fertilizer or flash powder or some other granulated explosive material, it really ramps up the event.

It ramps up what the explosive force would have been. I mean, whether it was eight pails or 80 in a flip locker, it will do whole lot more devastation there in times square. I mean, so (inaudible) explosives would be important. When you have two clocks on a bomb, sometimes one's a safe arm mechanism. So if the bomber wants to safely set the time so he doesn't have to fiddle with the mechanism while he's near it.

So one clock may (inaudible) well that's one reason. And another reason could be that he had two separate firing range, one that went to the foot locker and one that went to the gasoline cans and 16-ounce improvised detonator that he would have used.

WHITFIELD: Well, give me an idea now since these are pretty common products, from what we understood from the commissioner there how difficult, how challenging is it going to be for the investigators to try and trace these items? The question was asked. Propane tanks. Is there any ID on propane tanks? Can they be trace? And the commissioner says he didn't think so. What's your experience as a bomb expert of these items? Are these things traceable? CAVANAUGH: Everything really is traceable when you get the first breaks in the case. And there are breaks in this case significant for law enforcement. One is the device malfunctioned. It appears that when he was on the way to deliver the device, it might have malfunctioned and he hurriedly parked it and jumped out and left the vehicle running. So he wanted to get away from it. It might have functioned when he didn't want it to function.

(inaudible) there's a lot of evidence in there on how the bomb was made, the forensics, the clock, the propane tank as you say. One of the biggest leads is the vehicle itself. If the bomber here or bombers sort of (inaudible) to eliminate the VIN number, which is significant because the VIN number probably - it may be a stolen vehicle. But it may lead to his hometown or neighborhood.

WHITFIELD: Yes. And we know that the VIN number is key is in so many different ways. We know how effective the VIN number was on the Oklahoma City bombing. That's in part how they were able to locate those who were held accountable for that, the VIN number on that vehicle.

So in this case, the commissioner also said the license plate on this vehicle was registered to a different vehicle that was in an auto repair shop in Connecticut. So give me an idea how this might help them kind of trace the steps of this suspect.

CAVANAUGH: Well, once they find out some location for this vehicle, where it was stolen or came from, it may give them more of a little place to start. If it turns out it's also in Connecticut or maybe a different place around the New York area, that may be also the place where other materials were acquired like propane tanks, perhaps, you know, even ammonium nitrate or fireworks.

And of course, the video tape, (inaudible) all these are significant. And of course, remember, the first World Trade Center bombing, (inaudible) the NYPD bomb squad detectives in '93 went in the basement of the World Trade Center and found the VIN number of the rental truck that led to the bomber who did that. so that VIN number is key. We have a lot of evidence. We're going to break the case.

WHITFIELD: Interesting. And then the commissioner said there are 82 cameras in the area. They're looking through - that's got to be a pain staking process. They're looking through the images from these surveillance cameras. And when you talk about pinpointing Connecticut as an auto repair shop where the license plate may have come from, and you were talking about whether that area would glean more evidence, could, perhaps, the use of surveillance cameras along a route from wherever this city is in Connecticut and into this city, how instrumental might those images be?

CAVANAUGH: Yes. I think that's all going to come together quickly for the investigators. It is a race against time. Because you have a person here or persons who put a device with all these explosives in Times Square. Their goal had to be mass murder. And that's a large step for a criminal to make. So the police and the agents obviously want to get to them as quick as they can. He may be frustrated he didn't get his bomb to detonate. So his post offense behavior now may be observable as well. He may be very frustrated. He may be hiding out somewhere. It's a race against time to find these people. (inaudible) suicide attack? Could he be making another device? Those things are relevant.

WHITFIELD: Jim Cavanaugh, formerly of the ATF, bomb expert. Thanks so much.

The other big story we continue to watch today, of course what happened in Times Square, but also in the Gulf now. The president of the United States is on the ground in Venice, Louisiana. He has just talked to a number of first responders. Now let's listen in.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: First, let me say a few words about the incident in New York City. I want to commend the work of the NYPD, the New York Fire Department, and the FBI, which responded swiftly and aggressively to a dangerous situation. And I also want to commend the vigilant citizens who noticed the suspicious activity and reported it to the authorities.

I just got off the phone on the way down here with Mayor Bloomberg to make sure that state and federal officials are coordinating effectively. Since last night, my national security teams have been taking every step necessary to ensure that our state and local partners have the full support and cooperation of the federal government.

We're going to do what's necessary to protect the American people, to determine who's behind this potentially deadly act, and to see that justice is done. And I'm going to continue to monitor the situation closely and do what it takes at home and abroad to safeguard the security of the American people.

Now, we just finished a meeting with Admiral Thad Allen, our national incident commander for this spill, as well as Coast Guard personnel who are leading the response to this crisis. And they gave me an update on our efforts to stop the BP oil spill and mitigate the damages.

By the way, I just want to point out I was told it was drizzling out here. Is this Louisiana drizzle right here? They gave me a sense of how this spill is moving. It is now about nine miles off the coast of southeastern Louisiana. And, by the way, we had the governor of Louisiana, Bobby Jindal, as well as parish presidents who are taking part in this meeting because we want to emphasize the importance of coordinating between local, state and federal officials throughout this process.

Now, I think the American people are now aware, certainly the folks down in the gulf are aware, that we're dealing with a massive and potentially unprecedented environmental disaster. The oil that is still leaking from the well could seriously damage the economy and the environment of our gulf states. And it could extend for a long time. It could jeopardize the livelihoods of thousands of Americans who call this place home. And that's why the federal government has launched and coordinated an all hands on deck relentless response to this crisis from day one. After the explosion on the drilling rig, it began with an aggressive search and rescue effort to evacuate 115 people, including three badly injured.

And my thoughts and prayers go out to the family of the 11 workers who have not yet - who have not been found. When the drill unit sank on Thursday, we immediately and intensely investigated by remotely operated vehicles the entire 5,000 feet of pipe that's on the floor of the ocean.

In that process, three leaks were identified. The most recent coming just last Wednesday evening. As Admiral Allen and Secretaries Napolitano have made clear, we've made preparations from day one to stage equipment for a worst-case scenario. We immediately set up command center operations here in the Gulf and coordinated with all state and local governments. And the third breach was discovered on Wednesday. We already had by that time in position more than 70 vessels and hundreds of thousands of feet of boom.

And I dispatched the secretaries of the interior and Homeland Security, the administrator of the EPA, Lisa Jackson, who is here, my assistant for Energy and Climate Change Policy, and the administrator of NOAA to the Gulf Coast to ensure that we are doing whatever is required to respond to this event. So I want to emphasize, from day one, we have prepared and planned for the worst. Even as we hoped for the best.

And while we have prepared and reacted aggressively, I'm not going to rest and none of the gentlemen and women who are here are going to rest or be satisfied until the leak is stopped at the source, the oil on the gulf is contained and cleaned up, and the people of this region are able to go back to their lives and their livelihoods.

Now, currently the most advanced technology available is being used to - try and stop a leak that is more than 5,000 feet under the surface. Because this leak is unique and unprecedented, it could take many days to stop. That's why we're also using every resource available to stop the oil from coming ashore and mitigating the damage it could cause. And much of the discussion here at the center was focused on if we and when we have to deal with these mitigation efforts.

Thus far, as you can tell, the weather has not been as cooperative as we would like on this front. But we're going to continue to push forward. I also want to stress that we are working closely with the Gulf States and local communities to help every American affected by this crises. So let me be clear. BP is responsible for this leak. BP will be paying the bill. But as President of the United States, I'm going to spare no effort to respond to this crisis for as long as it continues. And we will spare no resource to clean up whatever damage is caused.

And while there will be time to fully investigate what happened on that rig and hold responsible parties accountable, our focus now is on a fully coordinated, relentless response effort to stop the leak and prevent more damage to the Gulf. I want to thank the thousands of Americans who have been working around the clock to stop this crisis, whether it's the brave men and women of our military or the local officials who call the Gulf home. They are doing everything in their power to mitigate this disaster, prevent our damage to our environment and help our fellow citizens.

And during this visit, I am hoping to have the opportunity to speak with some of the individuals who are directly affected by the disaster. I've heard already that people are understandably frustrated and frightened. Especially because the people of this region have been through worse disasters than anybody should have to bear. But every American affected by this spill should know this. Your government will do whatever it takes for as long as it takes to stop this crisis. This is one of the richest and most beautiful eco systems on the planet. And for centuries its residents have enjoyed and made a living off the fish that swim in these waters and the wildlife that inhabit these shores.

This is also the heartbeat of the region's economic life. We're going to do everything in our power to protect our natural resources, compensate those who have been harmed, rebuild what has been damaged and help this region persevere like it has done so many times before. That's a commitment I'm making as president of the United States. And I know that everybody who works for the federal government feels the exact same way.

Thank you very much, everybody.

(END OF COVERAGE)

WHITFIELD: All right. A soaked President Obama there in driving rain there out of Venice, Louisiana, reminding people that it's BP that's responsible for this massive leak and it will be BP that will pay for it. But he underscored the federal government will do what it can for as long as it takes to stop this crises.

We'll have much more on the region there in the Gulf Coast as this oil spill continues to grow. It's 130 miles long, 70 miles wide, and continues to grow by the day; spewing 5,000 gallons of oil a day before that well could possibly be stopped. And as you see right there, the livelihood of so many along the Gulf Coast there now in peril as this oil leak continues to grow. We'll have much more here from Atlanta in the NEWSROOM right after this. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Welcome back to the NEWSROOM, I'm Fredricka Whitfield. The president of the United States in the Gulf region. His message was twofold just moments ago out of Venice, Louisiana. For one, he said he wanted to commend the people who heard the suspicious activity out of New York with that car bomb being discovered there in Times Square. And he offered that the feds will give full support to NYPD.

And he also talked about the feds giving full support to the Gulf shores region as they continue to contend with this massive oil spill. He said while it is BP that is responsible for the leak, it is BP that will pay for it, however, he said, the federal government will do what it can for as long as it can to help stop this crisis. We've got a number of correspondents there, there on the Gulf Coast from Louisiana and all the way to Alabama.

Let's begin with Brian Todd who is in Venice, Louisiana.

We saw from the President as he was speaking, Brian, that it is very rainy. At least where the president was, the weather possibly -- actually, probably more suredly is affecting this crises, isn't it?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It certainly is, Fred. We're seeing firsthand evidence of it right here. My photographer, Chris Turner, might be able to get a bead on that Coast Guard boat there that is getting tossed around a little bit. This is typical of the problems that these containment efforts are encountering here. High winds, rough seas. It's getting worse right now as we speak. BP officials told me earlier that this is really hampering their efforts to lay boom down around the coast and also to get those underwater chemical dispersants down there to try to break up the oil as it comes out of the well head.

The president offered an assessment that the oil was about six or so miles away from the coast. I heard an assessment from BP a short time before that that it might be even closer to the coast. What we're told by local officials is that sheens of oil, tiny traces of the leading edge, have been snaking along the coast and have made contact with landfall. I was told earlier today by two local parish presidents that no significant accumulations of oil have reached the shore yet.

Take a look at these white caps out here. Chris is going to show us just the rough seas. This is just an inlet off the Gulf Coast. Also, lots of questions being asked about whether BP had kind of overestimated their ability to contain this spill or a spill like this before it occurred. BP officials writing documents and assessments, saying that they envisioned a worst-case scenario and that they could probably contain easily on their own something on the level of about 300,000 gallon of oil. Clearly it's not even quite to that amount yet and they've struggled.

They've had to bring in the federal government. BP is saying, look; we coordinated this with the government from day one. We were on top of it. But clearly the government -- the federal officials, President Obama, Janet Napolitano and others have kind of gone back and forth with BP on that, saying that they clearly needed to bring in some additional resources sooner. So that's going to be a point of debate going forward, whether BP kind of assessed their ability to handle this. Fred.

WHITFIELD: Well it is interesting because the president said the federal government coordinated, all hands are on deck, they began this massive search and rescue from the very beginning when it was a case of the explosion and then trying to find all of the workers, 11 in all died. Three he underscored were badly injured. But the president also said from day one the federal government was very much involved in preparing for the worst. But are we saying now that BP may have said, we've got this, and so the federal government may have back pedaled a little bit on how much it was able to do?

TODD: Well, that's what you're hearing. You're hearing that first of all BP had given assurances beforehand that they could handle something like this. Then during the early stages they were indicating that they could handle it. But then again, it was just about a day or two after the explosion occurred and the rig sank that the projections of how much oil was leaking just basically went up fivefold.

So then the feds kind of jumped in in a more heavy handed way and said let's get in on this. Let's throw every resource we have on it. So they are saying -- BP is saying, look, we called in the feds. We did everything we could to coordinate the response from day one. Federal officials are saying BP need to bring more resources to bear earlier. But now they're all kind of on the same page saying we're all handling this together. That's going to be kind of a point of convention when they look back on this and the response initially.

WHITFIELD: Brian Todd thanks so much from Venice, Louisiana, as the president -- there you can hear the sirens there departing from that area.

All right.

Let's go to Richard Lui. He is further along the coast in Dauphin Island, Alabama.

We just heard Brian, Richard describing how some of the oil -- the booms not working because of the weather. Some of the oil touching the coastline. Earlier you described how the booms that were behind you there yesterday are not there at all in part because of the weather.

So describe the setting.

RICHARD LUI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fred. It's the same right now. Because of the weather, it's starting to pick up right now. That system that was overhead in Louisiana, now it's moving this way. That's the concern here in this part of the country of the Gulf Coast. That's what they're trying to deal with.

But amongst all those defensive measures there's also some celebration going on with the fishermen here in the southern parts of Alabama. We went to Bayou La Batre which is considered the seafood capital of Alabama. And there they are getting ready for the 61st blessing of the fleet. And we spoke with one fisherman who took us out on a tour. He said this year might be a little bit different. This is what he told us.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAURICE RYAN, BAYOU LA BATRE FISHERMAN: I hope it'll change it for me. I hope, you know, that's why we're here. You got to put your trust in someone. And I really feel like with the church and the bishop, I got my life in good hands. Because BP certainly isn't helping me.

BISHOP THOMAS RODI, ST. MARGARETS CHURCH: It could have widespread effects with not only the livelihood of people, an entire way of life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LUI: That was the archbishop of Mobile, Alabama. He was there to give the blessing. I called Maurice, here, Fred, about ten minutes ago. I wanted to ask him how he was feeling. I was initially speaking with him as he was giving us a tour of the waterway where they were going to have the procession before the blessing.

He was saying, Richard guess what, you know I'm actually feeling better today. Because I'm on the boat with my son and my grandson right now. I'm thinking of the good times that we have had out in the waterways and as a fisherman, and as an oysterman, even though normally during this time this would be the celebration before they began the new season to go out and capture, bait and capture shrimp. Unfortunately they can't do that tomorrow as you and I were talking about an hour ago. There has been a moratorium for the next ten days.

WHITFIELD: All right. Richard Lui, Dauphin Island, Alabama. Thanks so much. We know that weather is hampering the situation there in the oil spill. Weather is also a big problem in other parts of the southeast. And even Midwest. Let's check in with Jacqui Jeras in the Severe Weather Center. Jacqui what is happening?

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, we've got really strong winds in the Gulf. We'll start there, Fredricka, and show you a new image that we have here from NASA showing the oil spill. Look at some of the sheen which is approaching and now hitting some of the shore areas. You can see that it is very close. Some of the barrier islands here. It hasn't gotten its way to Mississippi just yet. That is better than expected.

We think at earliest now that could happen tomorrow. Winds remain very strong. Onshore southerly flow with showers and thundershower, seas are up to nine feet today. It's very choppy. Of course, that's spreading the oil across parts of the Gulf. That is certainly not good news. Looks like we'll see that onshore flow for at least another 24 hours before the winds begin to subside a little bit. It's all associated with a very strong storm system in the nation's midsection.

We are looking at major flooding across a good part of the mid- south. Check out these aerials that we're getting in right now. This is from the Memphis area, from our affiliate. At least ten inches of rain fell in the Memphis area today, yesterday. You can see how widespread the flooding is. Hundreds of people have been evacuated from their homes. We've had roads and bridges washed out. At least eight people have been killed in the state of Tennessee. There's been a civil emergency message issued for all of central and western Tennessee. Officials say stay home. Don't go out.

There are too many roads which are closed. People are getting trapped and cut off because they're trying to get out. Of course, you know, that's how all these people have been killed in this state is because they've been in their vehicles and have been swept away. So just an incredible storm. Unfortunately, it is not over and done with just yet. What you're seeing here in the Memphis area, you're seeing very similar situation happening in Nashville. Nashville alone, 50 people had to be rescued in the last 24 hours because the flooding is so widespread. They're saying this is the worst flooding in at least three decades and some of the rivers have gone beyond record levels already. So a very serious situation.

The rain continues to come down across central Tennessee. And now this is starting to spread into Kentucky. We're getting reports of 5 to 10 inches of rain around Bowling Greens, stretching up towards Richmond, Kentucky. They're advising people not to travel here either. A couple of freeways have been closed in Louisville, Kentucky. You know the Kentucky Derby is going on this weekend. People have been trying to get in and out of town in Nashville, also two major interstates remain closed, and I-24 through town is closed. Spotty between Memphis and Nashville along I-40. We are expecting additional flooding as we head through the weekend. And this is on top of the 6 to 17 inches of rain that they've already had.

Check out a couple of these rainfall totals to show you here behind me. Look at this, Cambden, Tennessee, 17.73 inches and this is since Friday night. Nobody can keep up with rain that comes down that heavy. Remember the Atlanta floods that we had last September, this is the Atlanta floods compounded in several major metropolitan areas. We've got flood watches which have been posted now in at least a dozen states from Florida stretching all the way up here through the Appalachian states and we're looking at at least another 6 inches of rain in some of these places.

WHITFIELD: That is extraordinary. And you have been saying, it is widespread. Now we see those images. I mean, that really just hits home, how so many people are in big trouble there from Tennessee to Kentucky and beyond. Thanks so much, Jacqui. We'll continue to check back with you.

There's a whole lot going on. It seems to continue to pile up. Part of that pile is the investigation now of that car bomb in Times Square in New York. We heard from the police commissioner, Ray Kelly, giving some detail about the components used in it and how they are looking for the suspect. Now we're going to talk with someone who's a former undersecretary for intelligence with Homeland Security, coming up, about how this investigation might be going.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Welcome back. That New York Times Square investigation is now intensifying. Just moments ago we heard from President Obama on this investigation taking place in New York. A car bomb located last night. This is what he had to say while touring the oil slick area in Venice, Louisiana.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE U.S: I want to commend the work of the NYPD, the New York Fire Department, and the FBI which responded swiftly and aggressively to a dangerous situation. And I also want to commend the vigilant citizens who noticed the suspicious activity and reported it to the authorities.

I just got off the phone on the way down here with Mayor Bloomberg to make sure that state and federal officials are coordinating effectively. Since last night, my national security team has been taking every step necessary to ensure that our state and local partners have the full support and cooperation of the federal government. We're going to do what's necessary to protect the American people, to determine who's behind this potentially deadly act, and to see that justice is done. And I'm going to continue to monitor the situation closely and do what it takes at home and abroad to safeguard the security of the American people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Later on the president talked about the oil slick. Let's stay on point with this car bomb out of Times Square. Police commissioner Ray Kelly said earlier today he laid out some of the components found in this vehicle. It was a dark green Pathfinder that was left abandoned, still running, with the flashers on in Times Square.

And the president talked about the good citizens that notified police, vendors, apparently, noticed that there was some smoke coming from this vehicle and then notified mounted police where they then discovered that, yes, this vehicle was loaded with a number of items that all speak to explosive material.

We've got on the line with us right now a former undersecretary for intelligence of Homeland Security, Charles Allen.

Glad you could be with us, Charles. Can you hear me OK?

CHARLES E. ALLEN, INTELLIGENCE EXPERT: Yes. I hear you well.

WHITFIELD: OK. Good. So does this say to you, home grown terrorist? There you are now. When we hear the Commissioner Kelly say that they found propane tanks in this vehicle, gasoline, a bird's nest of wires, two clocks, and eight bags of fertilizer?

ALLEN: Yes. What that reflects, I think, another effort of home grown terrorists.

WHITFIELD: You do?

ALLEN: It is not the most sophisticated device, but it was deadly and it also reflects that what we saw in London in 2007, a similar type device using propane tanks and gasoline. So whether this is violent Islamic extremism or whether this is other extremism, we don't know at this stage. I think the New York City police department is doing a magnificent job thus far.

WHITFIELD: And you know similar to London, since you brought it up, where surveillance cameras helped in that investigation might surveillance cameras help in this one? Because we heard from the police commissioner that there is some 82 cameras in that area alone.

ALLEN: It helps immensely. It was very decisive in bringing to justice the two medical practitioner and the other aeronautical engineer, two from Pakistan, one from Iraq, back in 2007, to bring them to justice in London in Glasgow. The CCTV or surveillance cameras will be a vital part of the investigation.

WHITFIELD: We heard from one expert who said that maybe there was an indication that there was a malfunction with this car bomb as to why this suspect was seen in the surveillance video, potentially the suspect. The police commissioner described him taking off a black shirt, revealing a red shirt underneath, and seemingly trying to get out of the area quickly. Would this or could this potentially be that because the flashers were left on, the engine was running, it meant that everybody was going to look at this vehicle and think something strange. Could it be that this person or people responsible for this wanted this to malfunction, didn't want it to actually cause harm? This really is just a test to see how first responders would react?

ALLEN: Well, I would like to think that might be the case, but I do believe this was an effort to create violence and to kill large numbers of people. It at a minimum would have created a large fire ball which would have injured and killed possibly a number of individuals in such a crowded place as Times Square. I believe the intent was there. Just their implementation did not occur.

WHITFIELD: What kind of evidence will investigators really be zeroing in on? They have the vehicle. They've confiscated it. Yes, they're looking for fibers, prints, hair, et cetera. But what's the key component in your view that they need to find that really will lead them to this suspect?

ALLEN: I think it's all of the above. It's an aggregation of the forensics. These are the best people in the world, the New York City Police Department, aided and supported by the FBI. There's an ample amount of evidence. And I do believe this event and this case will be solved, whether it's a single individual or a small cell of individuals. I think it also reflects that we face a certain growth in home grown terrorism and we live in an open and free society and we're going to face similar events in the future.

WHITFIELD: How do you examine kind of the boldness of this? We're talking about Times Square at 6:30 at night. It's still light out. There are a lot of eyewitnesses. What's your view of what this suspect, what this person or persons may have been thinking in terms of taking this great of risk for this high density area?

ALLEN: Yes. And I do believe as Jim Cavanaugh, the alcohol, tobacco and firearms official stated, he may have intended to drive it to a different location in Broadway, in Times Square, but heard the popping sound and exited prematurely. I believe that he was not a suicidal individual. So he wanted to evidently get it in place, an appropriate place in Times Square. He left it perhaps prematurely.

WHITFIELD: Was there anything that you heard from Commissioner Kelly about the components located in the vehicle, how the wiring was done, meaning the two clocks were wired to this gun box and that there was fertilizer inside, that perhaps this does sound like a fairly sophisticated operation, that this really could cause harm if, indeed, it were to detonate?

ALLEN: I think it was an individual who -- or group of individuals who -- you can get recipes like this off the internet. And I do believe that the intent was to create mass casualties, mass murder, in Times Square. Whether it was the right location or not, I don't know. But the individual wanted to survive rather than commit suicide.

WHITFIELD: Charles Allen, former undersecretary for intelligence and analysis at the Department of Homeland Security, thanks so much for your time and joining us from Washington.

ALLEN: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: We'll have much more from the NEWSROOM on both the oil slick as well as this car bomb investigation. Of course, there's a third thing, too. Massive flooding, bad weather throughout the south and parts of the Midwest.

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