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Car Bomb in Times Square; Oil Slick Close to Coast; Coast Guard Versus Oil Slick; "Jihad Jane" Lawyers Want Delay; Deadly Storms in the South; Governor Joe Arpaio?

Aired May 03, 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: Thanks, guys. And good morning, everybody. I'm Kyra Phillips live in the new CNN NEWSROOM. Here's what we're working on for you right now.

Disasters, natural and unnatural. From the Gulf of Mexico to the gulf of Nashville. Music City submerged in shock. This is what more than a foot of rain in 24 hours will do.

Boston has got a water problem, too. Drinking water. This is what a burst water pipe will do.

And who is that guy and what's he doing? Investigators in New York would love to talk to him about that fully loaded SUV in Times Square.

But this is where we begin. How much more can Tennessee take? Parts of the state completely under water this morning after getting pounded with up to 20 inches of water over the weekend.

At least 11 people have lost their lives. Others still missing. Hospitals evacuated. At Opryland Hotel, 1500 guests spent the night at a nearby high school. Thousands of residents have fled their homes, people like this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We've been down here 40 years. Never saw it like this. And that's just (INAUDIBLE) because we've looked for people all day. They have said they come but nobody come.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We just happen to come down here when -- just really to take a picture and then they were bringing the first boat in and they didn't know the area, the fire department. And so my boyfriend got on the boat with them and off he went.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: And while the rain is over, people are still worried about how high the Cumberland River will crest. Downtown Nashville merchants could lose millions of dollars.

Jacqui, the pictures are unbelievable.

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. I mean this is the worst flooding in the mid south in about three decades and probably the worst ever for much of the Nashville area.

This is record rainfall by far blowing it away. In fact, for the month of May, we've already hit a record, yes, it's the wettest May. And this is only the third, by the way. The heavy rain is over and done with. So it's finally gone out of here.

But the Cumberland River continues to rise as well as many other rivers across the area. In fact it will likely crest later on this afternoon.

Look at these pictures. All these people have been rescued. Literally over 1,000 of them since the weekend. A state of emergency has been declared. And they're asking people to stay home today because it's just too dangerous. And additional people are getting stuck because they are getting caught in between the floodwaters.

Look at some of these rainfall totals that we've had over the last 24 hours. Camden, Tennessee, more than 17 inches. And more rain is expected to push in across parts of the southeast and have flooding in other parts of country.

We'll have more details on that and tell you what you could expect for travel. It doesn't look good, Kyra. We'll tell you about that coming up.

PHILLIPS: All right, we'll talk more. Jackie, thanks.

Well, they put their lives on the line for us. And one has made the ultimate sacrifice. Five police officer shots in Detroit, one of them fatally. We are watching this developing story for you right now.

Police say the gun battle began as officers responded to a call on the city's east side. A well-respected 12-year vet of that force killed. The other four officers and suspects shot. Detroit's police chief says drugs were involved.

We're going to have more on this story as the details become available.

Also, this morning, we're keeping a close eye on the failed car bombing in New York's Times Square. Police still pouring through surveillance videos to see if they can spot whomever left the vehicle.

They want to talk to this man. The video shows a middle-aged white man changing his shirt about half a block from the parked SUV. It was loaded with a crude concoction of ordinary items like fireworks, fuel and fertilizer.

One big question still unanswered, though. Is this the work of an international terrorist or terrorist?

Police are skeptical of an apparent claim of responsibility right now from the Pakistani Taliban. The group has falsely taken credit for previous attacks on U.S. soil.

CNN's Allan Chernoff has been covering the story for us since it first broke Saturday evening.

Allan, let's go ahead and start with the surveillance and what are police wanting to know right now about the guy in this video.

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Kyra. That is the focus. Surveillance video. That video that shows the man apparently, a white man in miss 40s taking off his shirt. Putting that shirt into a bag, putting on another shirt, apparently walking away from the vehicle.

That's one of the primary focuses of interest at the moment. But we should point out, there are lots of other videotapes.

Let's first hear from the police commissioner, Ray Kelly. He spoke about it on "AMERICAN MORNING" this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Is this person a suspect, a person of interest?

RAY KELLY, NEW YORK POLICE COMMISSIONER: No. No, not in any way. He'd be totally innocent. This is one of the first videos that we obtained. We thought it warranted an interview.

He is taking his shirt off. That was a very warm day but this happens just around the time that the pops start to go off inside the car. So that's why we just simply want to talk to him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHERNOFF: There is also a videotape from a tourist. A tourist from Pennsylvania. The NYPD already has spoken with that tourist. And that video shows a man running north up Broadway. So that would be right by where we are. We're two blocks away from where that car was parked, where the SUV was parked on Saturday night.

So that's one piece of videotape the police have been checking out. Hundreds, literally hundreds, of other tapes. There are surveillance cameras all over Times Square. So they have been looking through that.

And as they did mention Saturday evening, there was even one tape that captured the SUV actually driving before it parked at 45th Street and Seventh Avenue.

They're also checking out prints from the SUV. Remember a Nissan Pathfinder? And yet another interesting area is the license plates. Now the plates were Connecticut plates. They did not belong to that Nissan Pathfinder. They were from a Ford.

A man in Connecticut had brought his Ford over to a junk dealer, a used parts dealer in Stratford, Connecticut, we understand. And so the police have been talking to that dealership. That part dealership. And they're wondering, OK, how do the plates get on to this vehicle? That potentially could yield some other interesting information. But, one interesting item, they have spoken with the owner of the Pathfinder and the police say that person is not a suspect -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, Allan Chernoff, live in New York. Alan, thanks so much.

Another developing story right now. Cold drinking water, a hot commodity in the Boston area right now. Two million people have been without it since Saturday. Repairs of a water main break could be completed later today. But a boiled water order remains in effect for several communities.

As you can imagine, Bostonians had a rough weekend rushing to grab bottled water off every store shelf.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Don't bother going to the supermarket. It's crazy. It's like a big brawl. Don't go. Just come here.

ROB CROFT, ROCHE BROTHERS GROCERY: An hour and a half after we opened, we were basically back to square one with no water.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Now that wasn't the only liquid lacking. People who needed their cup of Joe fix couldn't even find at Dunkin' Donuts because waters pumped directly into those coffee makers.

No hope on the near horizon and underwater oil leaks still pumping into the gulf, choking out wildlife and livelihoods.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: A menace moving through the Gulf of Mexico this morning. We are talking about that massive oil slick bobbing on the water and moving closer to land. Efforts to cap the leaking well are not going well. And a temporary fix is more than a week away. That means that more than a million more gals spilling out.

Rob Marciano live in Gulfport, Mississippi right now.

So, Rob, where exactly the oil slick? Where is it right now and how is the weather affecting things?

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, at its closest point it appears to be about nine miles offshore. And that would include southeast Louisiana where it did reach some of the beach and wetland areas over the weekend.

But now it appears like the slick itself has been blown offshore a little bit. And in some cases, if you look at comparing satellite pictures, it looks as, though, at least the heaviest amounts of oil may have shrunk. May have -- those efforts to disperse may have succeeded but the actual sheen of the slick -- I think judging from some of the satellite pictures -- has expanded.

And that's probably the most difficult thing to predict, how and where that sheen is going to travel and what kind of effect is it going to have on not only the environment but some of the beach areas here.

That south wind that's been driving this thing for the past several days continues to blow today but we do think that that is going to lighten up just a little bit. You see that front. All that heavy rain, the devastating flooding across parts of Tennessee. Now that's moving into Georgia.

But that front -- once that's through, our winds will lighten up just a little bit. And then, Kyra, it gets a little -- it gets even more complicated because then you're talking about water currents that may play into the forecasting role.

And you know, I get the sense from NOAA, they're not quite sure as far as when and where this thing is going to make landfall if at all. So we're trying to be optimistic in that regard. But folks along the Mississippi coastline certainly very, very nervous. They know how to prepare for hurricanes but they really don't know how to prepare for something like this.

Back to you.

PHILLIPS: Rob, we'll keep talking. Appreciate it.

Well, the oil has been pouring out of the uncapped well for nearly two weeks now. And this morning, BP's chief says that his company will pay all appropriate cleanup costs. That includes legitimate property damage and commercial loss claims. But is it really all their fault?

CNN's Joe Johns takes a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The search for who to blame has already begun, and for many, you don't have to look very far. BP is getting slammed, not only for the accident -- what caused it still unknown -- but also for how it responded.

A lawyer who has already filed a class action lawsuit against BP for negligence says the company led first responders to think this wasn't going to be that bad.

DANIEL BECKNEL, ATTORNEY: You can't blame the government officials. They were all there ready to work. First responders were there. BP told them that we got it under control. We have it capped and people left.

JOHNS (on camera): As to the cause, the best they can do right now is talk about the piece of equipment that obviously didn't work.

Tony Hayward, the CEO, said a device called the blowout preventer -- these are his words -- is the ultimate fail-safe mechanism and for whatever reason, it failed to operate. He blames another company which owns the equipment that failed and operated the rig.

TONY HAYWARD, CEO, BP GROUP: The responsibility for safety on the drilling rig is with Transocean. It is their rig, their equipment, their people, their systems, their safety processes.

JOHNS (voice-over): Transocean won't comment, citing a federal investigation. Keeping them honest, there are other issues that point not only at BP but also at the entire industry as well as the government.

Here is why. A device called an acoustic valve that is relatively cheap by oil industry standards might have shut down the rig and prevented the massive leak. Other countries like Brazil and Norway require it. But not here. In part because the oil industry lobbied against it.

BECKNEL: It wasn't very expensive. Everywhere else in the world, they have it. We don't have it in the United States. And it was about a $500,000 device on a rig that would have saved lives and billions of dollars in this event.

JOHNS: It doesn't help BP that it's been connected with other oil spills and more disastrous mishaps including the massive explosion at a Texas refinery five years ago that killed 15 workers.

But that leads to a larger point. Critics say regulators looked the other way and Congress allowed the industry to help write industry-friendly rules.

ZACH CORRIGAN, FOOD AND WATER WATCH: It is a shared responsibility. Ultimately, it's the regulators who need to be regulating and making sure that they're protecting the public.

It's the oil companies who not only have to have safe equipment but have to have a culture of safety. And they have to be willing to have safety equipment and strong rules to protect the public.

In the last 10 years, the oil industry has done nothing but fight to have its own rules in place and enforce its own rules regardless of the impacts to the public.

JOHNS: And now, as the job of assigning blame begins, the industry and the regulators will take a hard look at all the things they did and did not do to wind up with what may be the second worse environmental disaster in U.S. history. And it's still getting worse.

Joe Johns, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: The United States Coast Guard, well, it doesn't have time for blame games. It's got to get this gushing disaster under control somehow, do the heavy lifting. Admiral Thad Allen is the man in charge. As a matter of fact, he was just appointed National Incident commander. This historic event now sits on his shoulders, and that's a hell of a burden.

And, Admiral, knowing you, you are not getting any sleep, just like Katrina.

ADMIRAL THAD ALLEN, U.S. COAST GUARD COMMANDANT: Hi, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, tell me -- I mean, I think what everybody wants to know right now is, is this going to get worse?

ALLEN: Well, it's really problematic trying to make predictions as was noted earlier. We have a lot of complicating factors. The first one is, this wellhead is 5,000 feet below the surface on the bottom of the ocean.

And all the information we have and deal with comes from remotely operated vehicles and what we can see through them. And that's been the case from the start of the event.

We are doing a lot of things right now. But the number one priorities is to stop the emanation at the source. We have had some encouraging results in the last 24 hours by applying dispersants where the oil is actually leaking out of the riser pipe and dispersing it before it gets to the surface.

We will be finishing up a 24-hour trial here shortly. And if looks like that's encouraging then we will start attacking the spill where it's actually leaking out of the pipes.

PHILLIPS: So have you found that source, Admiral, or are you still looking for it?

ALLEN: We found the source. You know there's been a lot of confusion over the last week or so about how much oil is coming out or when we knew about it. You need to understand that when that drill sunk, there was 5,000 feet of riser pipe attached between the wellhead and the vessel itself.

The vessel is lying on its side about 1500 feet away from the wellhead and between that is 5,000 feet of riser pipe all kind of crimped and along the floor. It took a couple of days to send ROVs down and go the length of the pipe, find the sunken rig. And over the next 72 hours, we've located three leaks which we know exist now and those are the ones we're dealing with.

PHILLIPS: So I've got to ask you this because so many lawsuits are being filed now against BP. There's been lots of criticism that BP did not give accurate estimations of how bad this was. As a matter of fact, the representative from the Coast Guard came out and said right now no oil is leaking.

Well, let's fast forward and look at the position that we are in now. My question to you is, do you feel that BP gave you inaccurate estimations which has now made your job even tougher? ALLEN: Kyra, I don't think there's any indication of that. Maybe there are some facts that I'm not aware of. Remember, we had 5,000 feet of riser pipe that had to be surveyed by an ROV. And if you asked right after the event, we would have said there doesn't appear to be a leak, because we have not seen all the sections of the pipe.

This thing kind of revealed itself over several days. And BP has actually provided us the -- a live video feed from our ROV straight into our command center. It has from the start. So I think it's a matter of how the information unfolded itself and what we're able to see when we're able to see it that caused the thing to be reported in the segments.

PHILLIPS: So just to make it perfectly clear, because there's a lot of finger-pointing going on and a lot of those fingers are being pointed at BP. I think people want to know, especially the people that are going to be affected like this, like the fishermen and sea traffic and those that depend on the waters here for their livelihood, are you in charge of this or is BP in charge of this?

I think a lot of people want to know who can they trust right now? Who is leading this 100 percent?

ALLEN: That's a great question, Kyra. And I've been answering it a lot. Let me say it one more time because I don't think I can say it enough.

By law and by statute and by regulation, BP is the responsible party. They will bear all the costs of this event. That said, the Coast Guard is accountable for the federal government for the oversight.

This is ultimately a shared responsibility. They are They are responsible but we are accountable and frankly, I am accountable.

PHILLIPS: OK. Then you've made that point very clear. So have you said to BP, I'm in charge, I'm accountable here? I need you to move over, we put aside money, we put aside politics, I have to get this cleaned up and I have to save a number of industries and a number of livelihoods. I need to do what I need to do and I need no interference.

ALLEN: I don't think there's interference by BP, Kyra, and they know absolutely that the federal on-scene coordination and the National Incident commander are in charge of this event.

They have been responsive to everything we've said. It's a matter of trying to get the right resources at the right place against a very large, complex and changing environment.

But there's no doubt in anybody's mind that we are in charge. And I'm the National Incident commander and British Petroleum knows that.

PHILLIPS: And there's a reason why you are leading this battle. I watched you during Katrina. We're watching you now. And we are depending on you. If there's one person to handle it, it's you, Admiral Thad Allen. Appreciate your time today.

ALLEN: Thanks.

PHILLIPS: The effect on an entire industry. The gulf slick pushing fishermen to the brink. Could a seafood shortage be on the way?

Next hour we're going to find out more about the efforts t make someone pay.

And of course Jacqui Jeras following all the conditions from the oil slick to other severe weather conditions around the country.

Just looking at these pictures right now, Jacqui, the Tennessee waters, the aftereffects here, the livelihood there.

JERAS: Yes. The same storm system just caused so much catastrophe over the weekend, Kyra. This is video from South Bend, Arkansas where a tornado ripped through, leveling homes, tossing cars and leaving a lot of people homeless.

I know at least three people were killed here in that state. And this is the same storm system that also caused all the flooding that we had going on in parts of Tennessee as well.

(WEATHER REPORT)

PHILLIPS: All right, Jacqui, thanks.

Well, that bomb in Times Square parked near Comedy Central's parent company. Comedy Central aired a "South Park" episode that showed Mohammed in a bear suit. You think that's a coincidence?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Checking top stories now. Tennessee's torrential rains are over. But like the governor said, it's going to take some time for things to get back to normal. Flooding has left at least 11 people dead and forced thousands of people to evacuate their homes.

That massive oil slick is moving closer to the Gulf Coast. It's still about nine miles off Louisiana. And heavy seas are making it tough to put out protective booms. The crisis hitting fishermen's wallets and your seafood dinner. Fishing has been banned in the northern gulf.

And New York police want to talk with this man seen in this surveillance video. It's part of the investigation into that attempted car bombing in Times Square Saturday night. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano says he could be a witness or may have been involved in the incident.

Long on defiance, short on fashion. Iran's president and its infamous members-only style jacket have arrived in New York. He hates America so much the 1980 style attire speaks volumes. But what will he say to the U.N. nuclear conference and is it a bluff?

We're back in about 15 (ph).

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Oh, Scarlet, they do give a damn. On this day in 1937 Margaret Mitchell won the Pulitzer Prize for "Gone with the Wind". It was the only book she ever published.

"Gone with the Wind" sold more than 30 million copies, by the way. And 42 years later, another Margaret making her mark. Margaret Thatcher became England's first female prime minister. She was also the first of the 20th century to be elected to three consecutive terms.

He addresses the United Nations Nuclear Weapons Conference later today. But the harsh words have already begun. Iran's controversial president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, not expected to budge on his nation's nuclear position even as his country faces more possible sanctions for its illicit program.

Arriving yesterday in the U.S., Ahmadinejad says Iran doesn't need to earn the trust of western nations which he apparently has yet to do for U.S. secretary of state, Hillary Clinton.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE: If Iran is coming to say, we're willing to abide by the nonproliferation treaty, that would be very welcome news. I have a feeling that's not what they're coming to do.

I think they're coming to try to divert attention and confuse the issue. And there is no confusion. They have violated the terms of the NPT. They have been held under all kinds of restrictions and obligations that they have not complied with by the IAEA, the International Atomic Energy Agency by the U.N. Security Council.

So we're not going to permit Iran to try to change the story from their failure to comply and in any way upset the efforts we are in the midst of, which is to get the international community to adopt a strong Security Council resolution that further isolates them and imposes consequence for their behavior.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: And we'll continue to follow this story and bring you the latest throughout the day.

The last of three Navy Seals accused of beating a suspected al Qaeda agent goes to trial this morning in Norfolk, Virginia.

Navy Seal Matthew McKay is accused of assaulting an Iraqi prisoner who's believed to have been the mastermind in the mutilation slayings of four U.S. contractors in Fallujah 2004.

Last month the two other Navy Seals accused with McKay were acquitted at their court martial trials.

Lawyers for accused home-grown terrorist, Colleen LaRose, better known as Jihad Jane, want more time to prepare their client's defense. A pre-trial conference is set for today requesting a delay to where it's up (ph) coming federal trial. LaRose is facing a four-count indictment of conspiring to support terrorists. The 46-year-old has pleaded not guilty.

It's just a theory, but a really interesting one. Whoever put that bomb in Times Square might, just might, have had a specific target in mind.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: It's been quite a ride on Wall Street. The Dow is up for eight straight weeks, but the streak ended last week because of a selloff on Friday. Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange.

Alison, let's talk about this United Continental merger.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, it's already moving the markets in a positive way, because for Wall Street, mergers are generally seen as a good sign. What they do is show that the companies are confident about where the economy is headed and are willing to put their money out there. And I'll tell you what, this merger is definitely a biggy, the $3 billion deal between United and Continental will create the world's largest airline. The carriers tried to merge back in 2008, but oil prices were at record levels and the recession was in the early stages, but now, the timing is just right.

The new company will operate under the united name and out of the Chicago headquarters, but it will use the Continental logo and Continental's chief will head the combined company. The deal still needs antitrust approval. United and Continental shares right now are up about 3 percent.

BP taking a hit. No surprise there. President Obama says the oil giant is responsible for paying for the cleanup costs in the Gulf of Mexico. So far, BP says it's costing about $6 million a day. Analysts say BP could be on the hook for as much as $14 billion because costs will probably jump as more oil washes ashore, and of course, don't forget about those potential lawsuits. BP shares right now are down about 5 percent, but overall, the Dow in the green, the Dow right now up 53 points, the Nasdaq higher by 14.

I don't know if it's the merger deal, Kyra, or that snazzy new set at CNN Center in Atlanta that you're sitting that's giving the market all this momentum today.

PHILLIPS: There you go. We like momentum no matter what. Alison Kosik, Thanks.

KOSIK: Sure.

PHILLIPS: New developments this morning in that failed car bombing in New York's Times Square. Police say they want to talk to this man, a surveillance video shows the middle-aged man changing his shirt just about a block and a half away from where the SUV was abandoned. Inside that Nissan Pathfinder, a crude concoction of fireworks, fuel and fertilizer. A nearby T-shirt vendor alerted police when he spotted smoke coming out of the vehicle.

Let's try to connect some of the dots here. Think about where this bomb was found. Listen to what New York Congressman Peter King told CNN's Candy Crowley; King is on the Homeland Security Committee.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. PETER KING (R-NY), HOMELAND SECURITY COMMITTEE (via telephone): One possibility, yet again, this is one possibility out of 100, but this vehicle was close to a Viacom building which owns MTV and Comedy Central and you have the whole issue with South Park, which Islamic terrorists were threatening to have retribution for. All of these things have to be looked at.

Fortunately, a lot of evidence was left behind, and you have the best police force in the world with the NYPD and you have the joint terrorists and task force in New York on top of it. They will be, you know, moving as quickly as they possibly can. We can be sure it will be a thoroughly exhaust stiff and professional investigation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Now, King is talking about this South Park episode that shows the prophet Mohammed hidden in a bear suit, kind of a sly way not to offend Muslims who see any depiction of the profit as blasphemous. A website called revolutionmuslim.com warned that South Park's creators could end up dead if the episode aired and opposed the address of Comedy Central and its production company. Just a theory about a possible motive. An interesting theory, though.

CNN's John Roberts actually talked with the director of homeland security about it, and John, what did she say?

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, I was talking with former counterterrorist and officials over the weekend, Kyra, who suggests that hey, take a look at this because while it may not be the motive, it's certainly is a viable avenue to pursue.

I put the question this morning to the secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, as to whether or not Viacom could have potentially been a target. It is right there at the corner of 7th Avenue Broadway and 45th street, very close to where that car was parked. Here is what she told me.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JANET NAPOLITANO, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: I'm not going to speculate on speculation. It's out there as one theory that's being posited. There may be others. What we do know is that some person or persons parked a vehicle near 45th and 7th in New York City and tried to put something in there to blow it up. (END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: All right. John, she is not counting out the possibility. She didn't say no. And this is a story that we've been following for a while now. When you talk to your sources, it makes sense if, indeed, this is true.

ROBERTS: It certainly does make sense. We should point out that the size of the explosive device inside that car would have, according to experts, come nowhere near to taking down a building. It probably would have killed a few people in the vicinity. Had it detonated, it might have blown out a few windows, but certainly, was nothing like we saw in the first World Trade Center bombing back in the early 1990s, certainly nothing to the destructive power of the aircraft into the World Trade Center, but it would have done some local damage.

I also had an opportunity to talk off camera with NYPD Commissioner, Ray Kelly, about the potential Viacom connection. He said it's definitely something that they're looking at, but he did also say that they're looking down a number of different roots, but he did tell me, he said, you Google Viacom, and that's the address that comes up.

PHILLIPS: John Roberts from New York. John, thanks.

Amazing images from around the world. The best of the best compiled just for you. We've got the stories behind the shots.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Checking top stories now, massive flooding in the southeast. Just take a look at these pictures from Nashville, Tennessee. The severe storms and flooding are blamed for 11 deaths. Thousands of people have been forced from their homes.

Efforts to clean up oil in the Gulf of Mexico have hit a snag, the weather, rough seas are stopping skimmer boats from picking up the oil right now, which could mean an ever bigger impact when the slick starts hitting Gulf Coast beaches.

And a grainy piece of surveillance video that may be the key to finding who left a bomb in an SUV in Times Square over the weekend. Investigators have combed through the vehicle looking for forensic evidence.

Now the entrance to a bank shattered with sweep kicks, a single finger showing democracy in action and a dog pulled from the debris of an obliterated home. Those are just some of the amazing photos that our Josh Levs has for us. And you're looking at a number of countries.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we're looking all over the world. We literally looking at the entire world, and we're culling the best images that we can to show you here because this picture really does tell a story. Let's start off with this one. I want you to see this because this reminds us what's going on in Lebanon, a key U.S. ally. This is where democracy is in action right now. You have municipal elections taking place. Democracy in Lebanon works a little bit differently from ours. Nevertheless, they are democratic institutions which is the key part of U.S. relationship over there.

Look over here. This is what's been going on in Thailand lately. We've been hearing about red shirt protesters that have taken over an area. What we're seeing here if we can close in right here is one protestor. Apparently, this is a family that has set up in this area and is basically living there, has their child. They're with him. With him (ph) basically a bunker as red shirts refuse to vacate one area.

This is something, Kyra, we're just talking about. This is out of Colombia. We have some protestors there during the Labor Day protest over the weekend. Violence often happens in Colombia on this Labor Day protests. This is shattering the entrance to a bank. And let's see another one here.

I don't want to stick with all violence and protest. This one is fascinating. This is out of Bulgaria. There's an annual, a spring ritual there, a spring tradition. This is a man wearing a traditional mask, right near Sophia, down the capital.

I think we got a little time. Let's bank to a couple more here. This is a torch rally that was taking place in Katmandu where a lot of people are protesting against the government sit up right there, and we can tie it up with a couple pictures of the United States. This is a protest that's been happening in Washington over immigration.

And I don't want to go without this one. Take a look here. This is the damage from a tornado. And what you're seeing if you close in there is pretty much a miracle dog at this point. This dog was saved from beneath several layers of a destroyed home in Arkansas this early Saturday morning after the tornado right there.

See, this is just a few of the images that we get any given day. We're always keeping an eye out for you so that we'll be able to show you the hottest pictures from all over the world. Kyra, back to you.

PHILLIPS: All right. Josh, thanks.

LEVS: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: We're back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Rain, tornadoes, some wild weather over the weekend in the south. In Arkansas several tornadoes hit Friday night and Saturday; the strongest had winds of up to 207 miles an hour. One person had died. Others are injured.

Check out these pictures from Tennessee where two days of torrential rain triggered major flooding. At least 11 people have died there. Those numbers are even expected to rise. Many roads are closed and thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes.

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ANNE SUTTON, RESIDENT: Well, I've been down here 40 years. I never saw it like this. And I'm just thankful, because we've looked for people all day. They said they'd come but nobody comes.

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PHILLIPS: Oh these were many rescues. Some dramatic like a pregnant woman airlifted off an underwater interstate. Jackie, when do you ever hear that? Underwater interstate, it took me a minute.

JERAS: I know.

PHILLIPS: I'm just thinking about that. I mean, really we have not seen pictures like this ever.

JERAS: You know and it isn't even singular interstate. It was multiple yesterday. Most of those are back open. But there are so many other major highways as well as side streets which are still covered with water. And actually we've got a state of emergency in effect across central and western parts of Tennessee.

We've talked a lot about Nashville. Well, these pictures are out of the Memphis area. And you can see the situation, very, very bad here as well especially north sides of town. So Shelby County, looking at widespread flooding in the Memphis area had somewhere about 10 inches of rainfall overall just from the weekend.

And I want to show you. These are our rainfall estimates from Doppler radar. And to put it in perspective for you a little bit, here you can see the state of Tennessee. That's it right there. And this white area that we're seeing, that broad area, it's estimating at least ten inches. And we've got reports that we're pushing 20. So this was very widespread.

It also moves in to Kentucky where those folks are about five to ten inches of rainfall in southern parts of the state.

Now, the storm system is on the move. So that's a little bit of good news. The rain is done for the mid-south. But the floodwaters continue to rise. And we're especially concerned about the Cumberland River in Nashville, which could crest this afternoon and potentially flood a good part of downtown. So we'll be watching that very, very closely.

The rain today across the southeast stretching on up into the northeastern corridor and we do have additional flood watches and warnings in effect for 16 different states. So you can see how much of an area this covers. And you can see another small area there into the northeast.

Now, there is a slight risk of some of these storms becoming severe primarily from the panhandle of Florida stretching on up into southern parts of Virginia. Damaging winds will be a primary threat in terms of those severe thunderstorms throughout today. Travel is not recommended, as I mentioned, across parts of the mid south. But if you are trying to get around by the airways look at some of these delays that we have: a ground stop in Philadelphia; delays almost an hour now at Atlanta; and New York City, 30 minutes.

So this is a real big mess, Kyra. And by no means are we over and done with, with the flooding in the mid south.

PHILLIPS: All right, Jacqui thanks.

Well, as if Arizona didn't have enough controversy, now an outspoken sheriff, you know, Sheriff Joe, he is considering upping his profile to the national stage.

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PHILLIPS: It's not easy being a teacher these days. How many stories have we reported right here about lay-offs and school closing because of budget cuts?

Well, here's one more headache for some teachers. If you have an accent and it's too thick, you're done. Get out. Yes. Arizona will be checking your accent status now, too.

The Arizona Board of Education is doing this to teachers who instruct kids still learning English. What the heck is all that about? First off, how do you decide if an accent is too thick? Is there a breathalyzer for that?

Another thing, does this mean a guy like Arnold Schwarzenegger couldn't teach kids how to learn English? His Australian accent is as thick as his biceps but his English seems to be just fine. He runs some of the most populous state in the country for Pete's sake.

And what about Paula Deen? You could fry chicken in that southern accent. Would she be out of luck, too? I don't know. It just seems wrong to judge a teacher by his or her accent as it would be to judge them on their hair or skin color. Their accents reflect who they are and where they come from.

So what's more important? What teachers say or how they say it?

We have a lot going on this morning and CNN crews are bringing you all the details.

CNN meteorologist, Rob Marciano is following the oil spill and he joins us live from Gulfport, Mississippi -- Rob.

MARCIANO: Well, Kyra the oil slick continues to drift. It skimmed the Louisiana coastline this weekend. Weather has been anything but cooperative, but that may very well change. Where is that slick now and where is it going? Live report coming up in the next hour. CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: I'm Christine Romans in New York. United Airlines and Continental Airlines are merging to become the world's largest airline. I asked the CEOs, Kyra, are your fares going to go up on routes where they used to compete and will there be job cuts and where will those job cuts come?

So if you fly on these airlines, if you fly on a competitor or you work for one of these airlines, you're going to want to listen up. We'll have the answers for you in about a half hour -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Thanks, guys.

Also ahead, a recall for some of the best known brands of cold and allergy medicines for kids: Benadryl, Tylenol, Motrin. We'll give you the list and what you need to do now.

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PHILLIPS: Arizona's sheriff Joe may be looking for a bigger stage. The Maricopa County sheriff could announce today that he'll run for governor. Sheriff Joe Arpaio is known for many things: jail tent cities, making inmates wear pink underwear and illegal immigrant crackdowns around the Phoenix area.

Current governor, Jan Brewer is under fire for signing the controversial immigration law, a law Sheriff Joe says he supports. If he runs he'd have to resign as sheriff immediately.

Meanwhile in Arizona, anger is still smoldering over the state's controversial immigration law. Thousands of protesters gathered Saturday at May Day rallies in Phoenix and Tucson. The law requires immigrants to carry their documents at all times and allows police to question people if there is reason to suspect that they are in the country illegally. Critics say it could lead to racial profiling.

That immigration law has also been targeted by the late night comics and this weekend those ranks include comedian-in-chief, President Obama.

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BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Unfortunately, John McCain couldn't make it. Recently he claimed that he had never identified himself as a Maverick. And we all know what happens in Arizona when you don't have ID.

Adios, amigos.

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President Obama traded quips with newsmakers and news reporters at the Annual Correspondents' Dinner.

Well, what a way to start the week. So much news happening right now; we're hitting as much of it as we can, like the biggest airline merger of all of them. How would you like to shell out more money when you fly? Hey, who doesn't like to pay more air fare, right? United plus Continental might equal a good deal for them but a more expensive deal for you and me.

Nashville submerged and in shock, thanks to a storm that showed no mercy. Folks there have never seen anything like this before. They will remember this flood for the rest of their lives.

And this could leave a mark for a long time. The massive oil spill that's moving closer to the Gulf Coast. Few realize how important this area is to your life, no matter where you live. Fishing, tourism, shipping, gasoline; all industries in trouble because of this oil leak.

Just a short time ago I talked with Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen, he is the government's point man in the Gulf, and he told me they're planning to attack the source of the leak with chemicals.

As for more than a million and a half gallons already in the Gulf, cleanup efforts have hit a major snag. We're going to talk to our Rob Marciano live in Gulfport, Mississippi in just a moment.