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Oklahoma Tornadoes Kill 5; Oil and Wildlife Don't Mix; Who Will Get Number 10 Downing Street?; Afghan President in Washington; Oil Rig Survivor Talks
Aired May 11, 2010 - 10:58 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Live at Studio 7 at CNN World Headquarters, the big stories for Tuesday, May 11th.
The Plain States watch for tornadoes again today. We tally the death and destruction in Oklahoma and Kansas and we talk with a storm chaser.
Also this --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CAPT. LOUIS SKRMETTA, SHIP ISLAND EXCURSIONS: They can't get this thing capped off, this is going to be a catastrophe for our natural resources in this region.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: The Gulf oil spill's big impact from the coast to the Capitol with the well still gushing. Congress opens its investigation today.
Plus this --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRANDON MAHONEY, URBAN CAMPER: I'm Brandon Mahoney (ph), I'm 16 years old and an inhabitant of an RV.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Out of home and out of work, unemployed Americans and their families set up housekeeping in RVs.
Good morning, everyone. I'm Tony Harris. Those stories right here and your comments, right here, right now in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Let's do this. Jacqui, are you ready? Let's get you to the Severe Weather Center and Jacqui Jeras.
Jacqui, let's talk about what happened yesterday.
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Wow.
HARRIS: And we're talking about a weather system across the southern plains that seemed to generate tornado after tornado. Let's look at some of the video, right? From -- captured yesterday of some of the scenes in Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, Norman, other areas of Oklahoma.
Talk us through what happened yesterday.
JERAS: Sure. Well, we had just a classic severe weather setup and an outbreak of tornadoes. And when we say "outbreak," we're talking about 20 or more.
These are the large, violent tornadoes we warned you about that stay on the ground for a long period of time and cause a lot of destruction. And that's exactly what happened yesterday.
More than 100 homes were damaged. Five people lost their lives. And thousands and thousands of people without power.
The damage is just incredible. And look at these pictures that we've been seeing from the storm chasers. You know, you only get pictures like this, really, out of the plains, where you've got that flat land and we get those super-cell-type of thunderstorms that stand out there all by themselves and just suck up all of the energy in the atmosphere and pull together.
Wow.
HARRIS: So we're talking about five deaths. We're talking about hundreds of homes, right, ,damaged or destroyed?
Let's listen to one of the officials from the fire department in Oklahoma City assessing the damage after the system blew through.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CECIL CLAY, OKLAHOMA CITY FIRE DEPT.: We go through there and do a quick, primary search to make sure. And then, obviously, once that we can -- everything clears out, you've got the light of day and other things. We'll go back and just be as thorough as possible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Jacqui, you mentioned it a moment ago, but please explain this a little. Expand on this a little bit. We're talking about one system, right, one line producing multiple storms?
JERAS: Right. We talk about that dry line that sets up in the plains states. And so, you have hot, dry air coming in off the desert and down the mountains. You have got warm moisture coming in from the Gulf of Mexico, cold air from the north. You have increasing wind speed with height, and you need those elements to get the rotation, and that's why we had such a significant outbreak yesterday.
HARRIS: Amazing video, right?
JERAS: Oh, yes.
HARRIS: Andy Gabrielson is one of the storm chasers who has been following and helping us bring you these amazing pictures.
JERAS: Amazing.
HARRIS: I think we've got him hooked up on a Skype call with us.
Andy, are you there?
ANDY GABRIELSON, STORM CHASER (via Skype): Yes, I'm here.
HARRIS: There he is.
Andy, if you would, talk us through your day, exciting as it was, yesterday.
GABRIELSON: Yes, it was. It was very exciting.
There were a lot of tornadoes yesterday. We ended up near Enid, Oklahoma, actually right near the town of Wakita, which many people probably remember from the movie "Twister." That's where we encountered a multi-vortex tornado, probably one of a kind as far as I've ever seen.
At one point, there was actually vorticities. You could see them very visibly, and it was just incredible. A lot of people were pretty excited about that video, and then everyone's attention turned down towards Norman and that area when they got hit, and that kind of put a damper on the day.
JERAS: Andy, I've seen multiple vorticities before, but I've never seen so many. Why do you think this storm was so unique?
GABRIELSON: Everything was there yesterday. I mean, there was just -- it was just -- you know, the models were showing a ton of cape, and I'm sure you've talked about that maybe on the air before. But when you get that much instability out there, and you get as much shear as there was on a day like that, you knew there were going to be tornadoes.
And it was just crazy. Like I said, I've never honestly seen this many right in that area just dancing around each other. It was just -- it was incredible.
JERAS: How long did it last?
GABRIELSON: That multiple-vortex tornado probably lasted -- you know, time flies, but I would say probably three or four minutes. And then it kind of got wrapped in the rain, so it wasn't as easy to depict what was actually going on. But the RFD and the inflow winds, not actually the tornado itself, but the winds that were feeding into that tornado, were probably 80 or 90 miles an hour at times.
JERAS: Wow. So these were like little suction vorticities that were coming out of the main tornado?
GABRIELSON: Yes. Yes. HARRIS: And Andy, we're going to talk about this with Jacqui in just a second here, but conditions seem to be setting up for another sort of action-packed day today. Correct?
GABRIELSON: Well, particularly tomorrow, in parts of Kansas and Missouri. But if a storm was to fire today across parts of Oklahoma or Missouri or even Kansas, I think it could be a pretty interesting afternoon.
HARRIS: OK. Andy, appreciate the work, appreciate the tremendous pictures. That is amazing to see.
As always, we tell everyone, even our iReporters, to stay safe. That goes for you as well, Andy.
JERAS: Oh, yes.
HARRIS: And Jacqui, if you would, why don't you sort of set up the conditions today. What are you predicting? How are things shaping up?
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: Jacqui, we have literally -- we say it a lot around here -- an amazing story to share with everyone right now.
I've got to tell you, almost 80 people were in Love's Country Store in Oklahoma County when the tornado warning sounded.
JERAS: Sure.
HARRIS: Then a giant twister -- right -- touched down right in front of the store. What do you do?
Well, everybody, customers and employees, crowded inside a giant walk-in cooler.
Reporter Ed Murray with affiliate KWTV is there.
Ed, before we talk about the reaction time from everyone in the store, if you would, set the scene from your location in front of the store now.
ED MURRAY, KWTV REPORTER: All right, Tony.
We're 10 or 15 miles east of Oklahoma City. Interstate 40 goes right by this store. And at first, folks were getting off the interstate and going underneath these awnings. And you can see the awnings are gone.
HARRIS: Wow.
MURRAY: And as that storm was coming closer, I believe a police officer came by on his bullhorn and told people, get out from underneath the awnings and get into the store. And I'm standing in front of the only wall that is still standing at this Love's store. Inside those walls are the bathrooms. That's where a few folks went. And this big hole in the wall here is that cooler you were talking about.
The front side collapsed in, the back wall went out, but there is a rack of sodas that is holding the ceiling up off the people that were inside that cooler. And only minor injuries.
HARRIS: Only minor injuries. That is amazing.
MURRAY: Only minor injuries.
HARRIS: So, that gives you a sense. We talk about it all of the time, Ed, just how chaotic these storms can be. They can strike in one area and leave an entire house next door untouched.
MURRAY: Well, Tony, in this situation, the employees got all of the customers into this cooler. There's also a freezer unit and a hallway. But the district manager and one other employee could not get into these areas.
They stayed in the center of the store, in the potato chip section, laid down flat as the roof was torn off above them. Not a scratch on them. And right next to them, this glass case of all these little glass figurines, not a crack.
HARRIS: Oh my goodness.
MURRAY: Yet, as you can see, the store, the brick, demolished.
HARRIS: How incredibly random. Ed, appreciate it.
MURRAY: It really is. You bet.
HARRIS: Ed Murray with us from affiliate KWTV.
Boy, appreciate it. And so happy that everyone made it out of there OK.
One more amazing piece of weather video to show you. We're talking about a giant sinkhole opening up in a rural area north of Montreal. Take a look at this.
It has swallowed two or three homes. And this is new video. It's about the width of five football fields, a mile long, 30 feet deep.
Rescue teams have to go ahead and try to find a family of four. Where do you begin that search? They were believed to be in their home, which is now tilted at a very dangerous angle and partially covered in earth. Rescuers have called the family's cell phone, and they hear it ringing, but there is no answer.
That is amazing.
Oil and wildlife don't mix. Our Rob Marciano looks at the threat the oil leak poses to a protected paradise along the Gulf.
Plus, the latest on the hearings into the disaster. Company executives facing some tough questions from lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
We're back in a moment. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: OK. Looking for answers right now, what led to the catastrophic oil leak in the Gulf and what's being done to stop it. The first of two hearings on Capitol Hill got under way last hour.
And in Kenner, Louisiana, the Coast Guard and a division of the Interior Department are holding a public hearing. It is part of a joint investigation into the disaster.
Got to tell you, the oil leak poses a threat, a serious threat, to sensitive wildlife areas like the Gulf Islands National Seashore.
CNN's Rob Marciano takes us on a tour of the area and shows us what's at stake.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CAPT. LOUIS SKRMETTA, SHIP ISLAND EXCURSIONS: OK, folks, we have some dolphins coming up. If you look a little bit to your right -
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: I saw another one!
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST (voice-over): West Chip Island is the destination, part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore and home to more than 300 types of birds.
Captain Louis Skrmetta's family runs this tour company for the National Park Service. The oil spill now threatens his protected paradise just 10 miles offshore.
SKRMETTA: They can't get this thing capped off, this is going to be a catastrophe for our natural resources in this region.
Katrina is long in our past. That's nothing compared to what's out there.
MARCIANO: The scenery here has definitely changed.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The main thing they want to know, is the oil here?
MARCIANO: Not yet, so the beach tours continue.
SKRMETTA: And we're just going to go this direction down the beach and see what we find.
MARCIANO: Only minutes later, the site of a motionless cormorant (ph) brings more uncertainty.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not sure that that's an oil casualty.
MARCIANO: Rangers believe the death was natural.
Meanwhile back on the mainland, life begins anew.
(on camera): As common as traffic is along Highway 90 are birds, lots of them. Between this road and the Gulf of Mexico lies this nesting area of least terns. This is the time of year where they lay their eggs and nests. And like most parents, they are pretty protective.
(voice-over): Speckled gray eggs dot the landscape, as hundreds of mommies and daddy swirl above the sand.
ALISON SHARPE, WILDLIFE CARE AND RESCUE CENTER: They migrate from many, many miles away.
MARCIANO: Alison Sharpe rescues injured animals and says birds don't have an anti-oil instinct.
SHARPE: They will probably still die, they are looking for fish. They are out there trying to survive and I don't think that they are really looking at oil. They are looking at, you know, what could potentially be their only meal for that day.
MARCIANO: So far, just one oil pelican has been rescued and released back into the wild.
SHARPE: You may not see this directly right now but there is going to be an impact.
MARCIANO (on camera): Not even the tip of iceberg yet?
SHARPE: No, it's going to be like, almost in a sense like a domino effect.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MARCIANO: Well, if you were to remove one link in that food chain, then the dominoes would start to fall. They certainly hope that doesn't happen.
But I'll tell you this -- that brown pelican recently removed from the endangered species list obviously threatened with this particular environmental disaster here. But the good news is we've only seen a couple of oiled birds, because the bulk of the heavy oil has not reached shore. And if that does, then they have trouble keeping warm when they get oil on themselves.
But diving through that sheen just to get at a fish, that's probably not going to kill them, but eventually it may make them sick. And then the food chain tumbles down from there.
Every day, Tony, they go out on helicopters and boats to scour the landscape for wildlife that may have encountered some oil. And luckily, we haven't seen a whole lot of that. But that sheen, that is the big question mark, especially long term.
HARRIS: Yes, it is. All right. Rob, appreciate it. Good stuff. Thank you, sir.
Gulf Coast residents are keeping an anxious watch for any signs of oil along the beaches. iReporter James Amerson sent us these pictures from Pensacola, Florida. He says he hasn't seen any oil just yet. The beaches are dotted with booms in hopes of keeping it from washing ashore. Anderson says the smell of oil was in the air definitely on Friday.
Well, we're bringing you the news from around the world. We're also watching what's hot online.
Handling those chores for us, Ines Ferre, surfing the Web.
Good to see you. Good morning, Ines.
INES FERRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good to see you, Tony.
Yes, so I'm taking a look at CNN.com, and we can see some of the most popular stories at this hour. This goes minute by minute.
We've got one from CNN Money on housing and housing demand. And also, check out this one, chasing down a tornado. And this is what you and Jacqui were talking about earlier, some seasoned tornado chasers and their video.
So, definitely, this is -- actually, this right here might be a commercial to it. But anyhow, the video comes in afterwards.
And this and some other stories are some of the ones that we're chasing throughout the hour.
HARRIS: Yes. Well, speaking of commercials, let's get to a couple and pay some bills.
We're back in a moment.
You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Delicate negotiations in Great Britain today. Five days after national elections, no one knows who will lead the U.K.
Our Paula Newton is in London, outside the cabinet, where we could be getting close to some kind of an announcement.
Paula, what are you hearing?
PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Quite a buzz around here. We're hearing that perhaps, within the next few hours, we will find out that Britain has a new prime minister. It was quite the game of horse trading, cards. Use any analogy you want, but a lot of negotiations behind the scenes, something this country hasn't seen in decades.
As a result, you will have, perhaps, David Cameron, the Conservative leader, will become prime minister of this country. And as you know, Tony, that's a whole new ball game in terms of relations with the United States.
Now, Tony, I want to ask you, do you remember hanging chads?
HARRIS: I do, yes. Of course. We'll never forget it. I still see them if my dreams sometimes.
NEWTON: It's been kind of like that for a few days, nightmares more like it, Tony. It's been kind of like that for the last few days, but it involves people. And it's been incredibly complicated.
And what Britain is going to get out of this is a much more complicated way to govern. Voters here thought it might return some kind of political revolution in the sense of really changing the way politics is done.
It means the Conservative Party here will have to compromise when they're in government, and that could mean a lot of different things for the economy in terms of the United States negotiating on the environment, on Afghanistan. You name it.
But, Tony, the other thing I told you last week was that this was a bit like a game of cricket. There will be a score at the end of the day. Don't ask me how it's going on, don't ask me about the rules. We will have a clear score, a clear winner at the end of this.
Tony, a real buzz around here. We're outside the office where they're negotiating, and we believe we'll have news for you in the next few hours.
HARRIS: Well, OK. I've got a bunch of questions about score and cricket and everything else, but I'll wait. I'll hang on to those questions.
Paula, appreciate it. Thank you for the latest developments.
Let's get you to top stories right now.
Oklahoma and Kansas on guard for destructive storms again today. Multiple tornadoes swarmed through the states Monday. They killed at least five people and flattened or damaged more than 100 homes.
Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan making the rounds on Capitol Hill tomorrow. Today, President Obama discusses Kagan's confirmation strategy. Senator Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy will be in the Oval Office.
And a man who survived Japan's December 7, 1941 attack on the USS Arizona is now buried aboard the sunken ship. Navy Lieutenant Anthony Schubert is the 32nd survivor interred on the Arizona. The ship rests at the bottom of Pearl Harbor. It holds the remains of more than 1,000 men. I am talking live with Education Secretary Arne Duncan about the childhood obesity epidemic.
That's next, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: You know, tourism along the Gulf Coast could take a hit from the massive oil slick lurking offshore. Concerns are high on Alabama's Dauphin Island after balls of tar started washing up on the beach over the weekend. The military is shoring up the beaches with sand barriers, but uncertainty over the spill threatens to disrupt the summer vacation season.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Some of the realtors have had numbers of cancellations. I mean, upwards of 50 percent to 70 percent. And so, this summer, unless things get turned around in a hurry, we're going to be struggling.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: So, hearings are under way in Louisiana and on Capitol Hill into the oil disaster in the Gulf. On the Hill, executives from the companies involved in the drilling operation have been called to testify.
Congressional Correspondent Brianna Keilar joining us with details.
And Brianna, look, I'm really interested in the second panel that I believe is getting under way shortly here, if it hasn't begun already. What can we expect from the testimony from Transocean, Halliburton and BP executives?
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we are expecting some finger-pointing, because we have seen the testimony, Tony, at least the part that they just give before the panel here. Of course, it's the question-and-answer session that we're going to be very curious about. But here's what we know that they're going to say.
You've got the head of BP America, Lamar McKay. He is expected to say, look, it was the emergency shut off valve, that thing that we have been calling the blowout protector. It failed. And you know what? That is the responsibility of Transocean.
In the middle, you see Transocean's chief. That is the responsible of Transocean, he is expected to say, because they are the subcontractor operating the rig.
Well, Steven Newman, the head of Transocean, is expected to say, BP sets the specifications, it's their responsibility. And clearly, the root problem of this blowout had to do with either the casing that the drill goes through, or maybe it was the cementing that plugs the well.
The cementing was something that was put in place by Halliburton. You see Tim Probert of Halliburton there on the right. And we're expecting that he is going to say, no, no, no. We are confident that we cemented this well to BP's specifications.
And so you have what one Democratic senator, Robert Menendez of New Jersey, who has been very critical of these companies, is calling the liability chase. That's what he's calling this. And we're expecting that to begin momentarily.
HARRIS: Well, Brianna, is it clear that BP is ultimately responsible for the cleanup costs?
KEILAR: You know, right now, what we understand is BP is responsible for the cleanup costs. So, then, why do you have this kind of blame game going on?
HARRIS: Yes.
KEILAR: Well, the whole other aspect is that you've got a lot of damages. And I understand, actually, that if we can take a live picture, we're seeing the second panel of these corporate executives sitting down.
HARRIS: Good. Good. Good.
KEILAR: The other issue you have -- and this may be the more expensive part of the equation -- is the economic impact to the Gulf Coast, to the businesses there, to the industries there. And at this point, lawyers are saying, look, they could all be on the hook for this depending on what the cause of this blowout was. And that, Tony, is why we expect that we're seeing this finger-pointing.
HARRIS: Yes.
Let me see if I can squeeze one more question in here, quickly here.
Brianna, what might change as a result of these hearings?
KEILAR: One of the things that we're hearing from Washington -- and this is coming not from the Hill, but from the Obama administration -- is the regulators, the government regulators over these offshore oil drillers, the Minerals Management Service, that they should be split in half, because what they're dealing with right now is leasing. They're dealing with the leases, they're dealing with the collection of royalties, payment to the government, but they're also in charge of regulating.
And you have some senators, especially Bill Nelson of Florida, who said this is a huge conflict of interest, it needs to be split up. And we've heard from the Obama administration that they're going to announce later today that will happen.
HARRIS: OK. Our congressional correspondent, Brianna Keilar, for us.
Brianna, appreciate it. Thank you.
I am talking live with Education Secretary Arne Duncan about the childhood obesity epidemic in this country.
That's next in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Pictures, information, insight you won't find anywhere else. CNN NEWSROOM with Tony Harris. Anything can happen.
From the war zone to Washington, Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, right now attending a series of high-level meetings at the state department. He is talking about bringing insurgent leaders back into the fold. Mr. Karzai has already been trying to gain tribal support for military operations in the Taliban stronghold of Kandahar.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HAMID KARZAI, PRESIDENT OF AFGHANISTAN: It's not a reduction in alliance or a reduction in partnership or a reduction in relationships. It's just to make sure that we all understand as to where each one of us stands. Afghanistan is the home of Afghans, and we own this place, and our partners are here to help the cause that's all of us. We run this country, the Afghans.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Relations between Mr. Karzai and the Obama administration have grown increasingly tense. Last month, the Afghan leader blamed the outsiders especially the U.S. for corruption in this country's recent presidential election. The tensions have not, however, deterred the commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEN. STANLEY MCCHRYSTAL, COMMANDER, U.S. FORCES AFGHANISTAN: I think it's important that each of us have a good relationship, but also distinctly different. Mine is as a military commander, and as I support a wartime commander-in-chief, President Karzai, I think it's important that I have an effective, candid, responsible relationship.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the U.S. commitment to Afghanistan remains strong and will continue long after troops withdrawal. Let's get to the Pentagon now on our Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr, on this story, and Barbara, let's drill down on this relationship between the Obama administration and President Karzai. Where do things really stand?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Tony, they are very tense and it's not tension bubbling below the surface. It's really out there in public. Yesterday, the U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, Carl Eikenberry, at a White House press conference struggled three times. He was asked if he really supported Hamid Karzai, and each time, he fumbled the answer and not really willing to jump out there and offer his whole-hearted support. General McChrystal offering his support because it's a military relationship.
There are 130,000 troops on the ground right now and the only way home for U.S. troops is if they can make this war work. If they can really challenge the Taliban and put them out of business, establish security, establish economic assistance and all of that is going to be very tough as long as Hamid Karzai's in power. There are issues of corruption, issues of his support for the drug trade. The list of problems just goes on and on, Tony.
HARRIS: And Barbara, you talked a moment ago about making this war effort really work. What about the troop deployments in the Kandahar? How is that working?
STARR: Well, you know, that is General McChrystal's next target on the list, Kandahar, a major urban center in Southern Afghanistan. It is the longstanding heartland and the spiritual center of the Taliban. There are Taliban in the city. There are Taliban in the area surrounding Kandahar that control entrance and exits from the city, control businesses. Karzai went down there to try and make the case for the U.S. taking on the Taliban in Kandahar, but the Afghan people are exhausted and very worried about this fighting.
They feel that they are going to get caught in the middle and all of this is just going to land on their heads and more civilians will be killed and that's a problem for McChrystal because, of course, he's got to maintain Afghan civilian support for this war as well. The only way home for U.S. troops is to make it all work and that is proving a lot tougher than they thought.
HARRIS: OK. They bringing troops home which brings us back to what's going on in Washington today and tomorrow. How important are these talks to ultimately bringing the troops home?
STARR: Well, I mean, this is the bottom line, isn't it?
HARRIS: Yes.
STARR: You know, President Obama has said he wants to begin withdrawing troops next year from some of the more peaceful areas of Afghanistan, but can he even make that happen? Again, the problem is can Hamid Karzai really be an effective leader across the country? You know, for years now, there's been that expression that he's just the mayor of Kabul, basically, the only place he controls is the capital city and barely that some days.
Hamid Karzai has to demonstrate that he can control the country, that he can have military forces out there in all directions that really can take charge and control security, and right now, that is not happening, Tony.
HARRIS: OK. At the pentagon, Barbara Starr for us. Good stuff, Barbara. Appreciate it. Thank you.
And still to come in the NEWSROOM, surviving the oil rig explosion that led to this huge leak. You will hear from a man who escaped the burning fire. That's next in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: So poke your head into any American classroom and odds are you will see about a third of the kids are overweight. Now, last hour in Washington, the first lady unveiled early findings from her task force on childhood obesity. Take a look at the panel's goals here -- ensuring access to healthy, affordable food, increasing physical activity in schools and communities, providing healthier food in schools and empowering parents with information and tools to make good choices for themselves and their families.
Education Secretary Arne Duncan is joining me now from the White House to talk about this. Mr. Secretary, good to see you. Thanks for your time.
Good morning, Tony. Thanks for the opportunity.
HARRIS: Yes, it's our pleasure.
You know, those goals cover a lot of ground. I want to focus one area that you might be able to influence greatly here and that's what's on the menu at schools. What we're going to put up on the screen here is, you know, a menu from a school here in the Georgia area. You won't be able to see it, but the folks at home will be able to see it and on that menu at Dodge Middle School here in Cobb County, Georgia, breadsticks as an entire choice or a sandwich is an on-tray. So, you get the choice of breadsticks or sandwich as on-tray. There are some vegetables and a lot of fruit choices.
So, generally speaking, how are we going to make school lunches healthier for students in the country?
ARNE DUNCAN, EDUCATION SECRETARY: And it's not just school lunches. It's breakfast as well.
HARRIS: Yes.
DUNCAN: We're trying to make sure that the snacks in the vending machine are healthy and nutritious. So, Tony, we're actually working in very close collaboration with the Department of Agriculture. Secretary Todd Voss has been extraordinary partner, and he wants to put a huge amount of additional resources on the table going forward as he reauthorizes the child nutrition act to support those school districts. They're doing the right thing by children.
Many school districts are doing this and moving in the right direction. Others frankly have a long way to go. With children getting so much of their food each day from breakfast and lunches at school, it's critically important that those meals be nutritious.
HARRIS: Yes, when you talk about more resources, look, aren't fresh fruits and vegetables more expensive and more time consuming to provide? You know, fruits and vegetables are really time sensitive. They go bad. How do schools cope with the cost of providing better, sort of cleaner-burning food for students?
DUNCAN: Well, again, we want to put more money on the table to support those school districts doing the right thing and it makes a lot of sense economically to be buying from those local farmers, to be buying from those local producers. It's the right thing for them, and it's the right thing for the community. So, just being a little bit more creative, a little bit more thoughtful, and how we do this, I think will dramatically improve students' education.
HARRIS: Do you have to add more staff to cook healthier meals for students? For kids?
DUNCAN: I don't think, Tony, we necessarily need to add more staff. I think we have to work smarter --
HARRIS: Got you.
DUNCAN: And again, we just have to make sure we're supporting those districts that are doing the right thing.
HARRIS: So, vending machines as sodas and snacks can be found in those machines, my understanding is they also make money for the schools, but in many cases, they can be loaded with unhealthy items. What do you want to see happen there?
DUNCAN: Right. There's nothing wrong with having the vending machines, Tony. It's what's in them. The schools can still bring, you know, revenue and make money by putting more nutritious snacks in those vending machines. And what we're ultimately trying to do, Tony, is build habits that will last a lifetime. If our children are learning at early age how to eat right and how to eat healthy, that's going to stay with them for the rest of their lives.
And frankly, I think we can't be as successful as we want academically if our students aren't being fed well. And so, if we want students to fulfill their tremendous academic potential, we have to do a much better job on nutrition side as well as physical activity.
HARRIS: During this process so far, what have you learned just to that point about how difficult it is going to be to, in essence, re-educate folks on how to eat healthier and to live healthier?
DUNCAN: I think this is a chance of a lifetime. We know we have to break through, but the first lady is providing just extraordinary leadership. There's unprecedented collaboration, not just across the different departments, Department of Agriculture, Department of Education, White House, with the non-profit community, school districts, the corporate community. All of us need to rally behind this effort. So, I think we have a historic chance to do much, much better and save this next generation of children from becoming obese.
HARRIS: Well, we're going to do our part with you. Mr. Secretary, I'm looking forward to see you on Thursday when we're going to talk about your initiative to get More African-American males into classrooms as teachers. I can't wait for that, but thanks for your time today.
DUNCAN: Thanks so much for having me. Appreciate it.
HARRIS: Yes, see you in a couple of days.
Checking top stories right now. Forecasters warn another round of vicious storms could hit Oklahoma and Kansas today. At least five people were killed yesterday after storms spawned several tornadoes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALBERT SHROPE, STORM VICTIM: Everybody's OK. Nobody got hurt. No animals.
MARCY SHROPE, STORM VICTIM: The only complaint, we didn't have insurance. That's only complaint.
ALBERT SHROPE: No complaint.
MARCY SHROPE: We are alive and we're fine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Pakistani officials say at least 14 militants were killed and several others injured today when five suspected U.S. drones fired missiles. It happened in the tribal region of North Waziristan. The U.S. military routinely offers no comment on reported drone attacks.
The U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Gary Locks, says 18,000 flood victims in Tennessee have registered with the Federal Emergency Management Agency so far. The group widespread panic is helping to raise awareness. They were here in our studios this morning. Have a listen.
So, the guys in the band have Tennessee roots, and they played to thousands of fans across this state for many years now. Find out how you can help the Tennessee flood victims by going to our web page. There it is, CNN.com/impact.
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HARRIS: The environmental and economic disaster in the gulf started with a human tragedy. The fire explosion on the oil rig left 11 people dead. A survivor of the blast says he didn't think anyone would make it off the rig alive. In an interview with CNN's John Roberts, he says he was pressured into signing documents saying he wasn't hurt, but his attorney doubts the documents will hold up in court.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: You were also asked if you were injured and you said I was not injured as a result of the incident or the evacuation. Why did they say to you that they wanted you to sign these?
CHRIS CHOY, RIG EXPLOSION SURVIVOR: They told me, me and my wife were actually about to leave the hotel to come home. They caught me right before I went out of the door. They told me it was just a statement saying that I was off the tower, that I wasn't working, and I didn't see what happened leading up to the incident. Though, me and my wife are just trying to get home to see the rest of our family, and they said just sign here and initial here and initial here and sign this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: So, what about the economic impact? We are seeing it on several fronts. Dollars lost because some tourists are scared to travel to the gulf, but we're also seeing job creation from the clean- up effort. Our Ines Ferre is tracking that side of the story for us, and it's amazing how often you get a tragedy and then for some, an opportunity presents itself.
FERRE: Definitely. And especially for the local residents in the area because they're really getting the priority of job openings to clean up the oil spill. In Mississippi, subcontractors are taking applications and you can take a look at there. You got people who are applying for these jobs. One subcontractor is looking for up to 1500 people to hire, paying $12 an hour, long hours. Some will be working some 84 hours a week, and they're looking for people to work on the beaches, on the islands, on the boat. And let's take a listen to some of these people that are applying for these jobs.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We want get the job. We want to be on the beach and help clean up the oil spill.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Some type of job with the environmental cleanup. Hopefully, it will lead to something permanent with an environmental company because I've lived here for 40 years and I do care about our gulf coast.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FERRE: And they have to have the right training for this clean- up effort. They have to pass physicals and go through hazmat training. And, Tony, also coast tourism is being affected, ecotourism. Today, tourism leaders and BP officials will meet in Biloxi to talk about the oil spill's effect on the industry, and some business owners are saying that while the oil hasn't surfaced in Mississippi, the negative impact is already there.
People are canceling their trips. They're calling up. They're saying, are you still doing these excursions, et cetera. Even throughout Mother's Day weekend, some of these business owners said that they saw half HARRIS: Yes, yes, absolutely. You know, we've got numbers on our team curious about what is going on, when the spill was likely to hit some of these beaches. We're starting to see some of the effects at do Dauphin Island, but we'll keep an eye on that and all the beaches along the coast there. You're back in just a couple of minutes. We're tracking what's on the web, what's hot.
FERRE: Yes.
HARRIS: All right, lady. Thank you.
FERRE: Thank you.
HARRIS: Thousands of college students are graduating and hoping to find a job. We want to see how one group is sending a message, a clear message, to President Obama.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: CNN is your source for money news. We're going to get you to the best financial website on the web. It is ours, of course, CNNMoney.com. Our money team doing a terrific job for you. We see the lead story there, the oil spill blame game. That's what's going on Capitol Hill right now.
You just heard Brianna Keilar's report just a short time ago. You got the executives from Halliburton, from BP, and also Transocean, pointing fingers at one another as to who is responsible for this massive spill in the gulf. We'll continue to follow that and get an update from Brianna shortly.
Let's get you to the New York Stock Exchange. We started off the negative territory. Things have turned around a bit. We are up, positive territory. 11 points following these numbers throughout the day, but one of the stories that we're following mostly closely is the action on Wall Street, particularly after yesterday's big day. One of the best days in a year for stocks. Up nearly 400 points. And we're still in positive territory.
Felicia Taylor is at the New York Stock Exchange on the floor there, on the trading floor. And Felicia, not surprised that we started in negative territory with a little profit taking, but things have turned around a bit.
FELICIA TAYLOR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, exactly. As you said, it's not much of a surprise. To be perfectly honest with you, I was surprised that it wasn't even worse. After we saw that triple digit gain yesterday, about more than 400 points on the Dow, we're at our worst point so far today. We were down about 90 points, and as you said, we're back in positive territory now up about 16 points. All eyes, though, are still looking overseas to the European bailout. Is it going to be enough? Is it going to be enough to contain any kind of spread of contagion?
The big thing today is whether Greece is going to be asking for, formally, its first $18 billion from the EU today. Most significantly next week, it has a debt repayment to take care of. So, that's one of the things that we're going to be watching over the next, you know, few days of the rest of this week. Is the European contagion going to be able to be contained -- Tony.
HARRIS: OK. Felicia, appreciate it. Thank you. See you next hour.
Still to come in the NEWSROOM, powerful tornadoes killed five people in the Oklahoma City area and leave a real path of devastation. I will talk to the mayor of that city in the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM.
Plus, we will show you the most revealing image so far of the oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico. These pictures from 5,000 feet under water. That and much more in the next hour -- hi, Jacqui -- of CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Keeping the need for jobs in focus. If you look now at how many Americans are coping in these difficult times, photojournalist John Torigoe (ph) examines life among so-called urban campers in Venice, California. These are people living in RVs and buses, either by choice or necessity.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEVE HOPKINS, URBAN CAMPER: If I lived anywhere in L.A., I would want to live in Venice just because I love the water, I love the beach. I wouldn't live anywhere else.
My name is Steve Hopkins and welcome to the Blue Buddha bus. Come on inside.
It's a 1975 Crown decommissioned school bus.
I've been living in a bus for just over two years now. This is my home. I live on the streets of Venice, California.
I take to it different festivals, events. It's powered by recycled veggie oil.
I didn't grow up wanting to live in a hippie bus.
There's no keys, actually. All you have to do is push a button and it starts right away.
At the time, I couldn't afford it. Soon afterwards, I did get a pretty decent job. I worked tech support for graveyards. It's great. When you have absolutely no bills, no, debts.
I don't need a lot. This is -- this is what I have.
I could actually afford my own apartment, but I just refuse to do it.
I guess you could say I'm almost homeless, but this is a lifestyle that I choose.
When the economy actually did implode, I was fortunate, you know, because I'd already adapted to this lifestyle, so it really never affected me as much as it did to other people.
TERRY HENDRICKSON, URBAN CAMPER: My name is Terry Hendrickson (ph). We've been in this situation since 2006 when we lost the apartment.
HOPKINS: She lives with her son and lives in an RV.
BRANDON MAHONEY, URBAN CAMPER: I'm Brandon Mahoney, I'm 16 years old and an inhabitant of an RV.
HENDRICKSON: There are lots of homeless kids living in RVs.
MAHONEY: I'd much rather have a house and be able to -- and take showers when I wake up in the morning and have electricity.
HENDRICKSON: I'm not working right now. I have a Social Security check. One of the important things to me is education, especially during the recession we have now. Because when the recession is over, you never know what job you might like to take.
HOPKINS: They were hit hard, and it's sad.
I have seen other people that are laid off. It's not a pretty scene when you've got ten RVs and they're really old, usually from the '60s, '70s, all beat up. They've got things all over them, attached to them, tied to them, all their belongings are on the sidewalk -- it's not a pretty sight.
WE are what Venice is. There's all walks of life here in Venice and who wouldn't want to live in Venice.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Because it's absolutely gorgeous.
Don't miss the CNN Special "JOBS IN FOCUS: A SIGN OF THE TIMES" this Saturday, May 15th at 2:00pm Eastern time.
